There is a saying: "Walking on a deserted mountain road at night is frightening when the owl screams."
Late at night, in the east of Chuzhou City, a rapid march suddenly appeared. The rustling of horse hooves and footsteps passed quickly like ghosts, and then fell silent again after a while. There is no war now, and the state soldiers on the city wall are a little lax. After hearing the sound, the leading commander took the torch and glanced at it. When he saw no one around, he stopped paying attention.
Originally thinking that Xu Kuangheng was injured, Li Yuan did not intend to take him with him. It's not that he is afraid of scarred Ma Liu and his group of desperadoes. In Li Yuan's eyes, Ma Liu and his group are just famous and ruthless. In the final analysis, they are just seventy or eighty little gangsters. Facing his fully armed With five hundred regular troops, there is no need to think about the outcome of the battle.
What Li Yuan was hesitant about was that if, as he deduced, the governor He Jingzhu was also involved, then Xu Kuangheng might not be able to stay in Chuzhou anymore if he got involved in this muddy water. However, so far, Mr. Xu's conversation and behavior are quite in line with Li Yuan's taste. He even thought in a dark way that if his job was ruined, it would be a good idea to recruit him...
Huangmuling, the place lives up to its name.
Ten miles east of Chuzhou City, far away from the official road, is a protruding hill. It is named because it is thickly covered with trees and inaccessible to people. Following Xu Kuangheng's guidance, Li Yuan led his army as soon as they reached Huangmuling, and their marching speed became much slower. In fact, the mountain road is not very narrow, and it can still accommodate four people in a row. However, the vegetation has grown too vigorously. The weeds on the roadside have even grown to half a person's height, covering them from time to time. In addition, it is also dark at this time. , it’s really depressing to not open your eyes.
Marching at night had to be even more cautious. In addition to the strange and quiet atmosphere, there were sounds like howling wolves from time to time. Li Yuan had to order a hundred men to hold fire to clear the way, expand the bright field of view as much as possible, and protect the cavalry in the middle to slow down the march. , after walking for a while, nothing happened.
After walking for who knows how long, Li Yuan lowered his head and saw that the vegetation gradually faded away and the mountain road gradually opened up. With the light of the fire, he could finally see faint ruts on it, and he knew he was in the right place. Sure enough, the sergeant from the front came to report and found a ruined temple.
There is only one mountain road that is neither wide nor narrow to go up and down. The 500-strong Forbidden Army is already lightly armed and can't move fast, and the cavalry can't move even more. This confirmed Li Yuan's conjecture. There must have been rumors beforehand that the divine soldiers descended from the sky to arrest Wang Jingguo's officers and soldiers that day.
Liu Jiangsheng and several generals gathered together and took orders to lead people to explore the surrounding area of the ruined temple. Li Yuan then ordered the entire army to camp on the spot.
At this moment, he and Xu Kuangheng were surrounding the altar eighty steps east of the temple, discussing tomorrow's battle.
"Yuhou, Mr. Xu!" Liu Jiangsheng smiled innocently and led all the generals to come over.
Li Yuan nodded, and then said seriously: "Before tomorrow, I will order someone to put a bag of sand on the altar. According to Mr. Xu, the Ma Liu Society will send someone to inspect the altar. The man saw When we have goods to leave, we will definitely go down the mountain to report back. Remember not to expose yourself at this time and just let the man go. At midnight, we will wait for Ma Liu to lead his people before we take action."
Liu Jiangsheng asked doubtfully: "Hou Yu, what if the owner also sent someone here? If he sees something wrong with the altar, wouldn't it mean that they bumped into each other?"
Li Yuan smiled faintly: "No need to worry! It would be better if the boss sent someone up! I don't have to go to such trouble, I can just catch them all when the time comes!"
At this time, Xu Kuangheng, who looked like an aide in the army, took over the words in a leisurely manner and concluded: "What Yu Hou said is true! Generals, if no one goes up the mountain before the time tomorrow, we will put bait to fish and lure the horse. Come here at six; if anyone comes up the mountain, I will catch them all as soon as Zishi arrives!"
All the generals nodded solemnly, and then listened to Li Yuan's order: "Then follow the plan! Before sunrise, wait for your troops to hide their horses and hide their footprints on the mountain roads. They must assemble before noon. Mr. Xu will lead them. You go to the place where the army is ambushed! From this moment on, Mr. Xu’s order is equivalent to my military order. Remember not to move without authorization. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed!"
Xu Kuangheng was shocked in his heart. He never expected that he would gain such great trust after just discussing with Li Yuan. He quickly handed over his hands and said, "I am determined to live up to Yu Hou's high expectations!"
Seeing Li Yuan's rigorous appearance, the generals did not dare to neglect and replied in unison: "We obey your order!"
"Jiang Sheng, take my soldiers and hide them in the temple, waiting for orders!"
Liu Jiangsheng had just handed over his hand and obeyed, then he thought of something and asked quickly: "Yuhou, what about you?"
Li Yuan's lips were slightly raised, and he smiled mysteriously: "Me? Haha, I want to go to the meeting alone!"
...
The next day, the rooster crows on Huangmu Ridge and the silence returns to its due state. As the autumn wind passed by, what was whistling hidden in the forest and grass was not only the chirping of insects, but also hundreds of gentle breathing sounds.
This dilapidated mountain temple, with a missing corner of the statue facing several broken walls, is eerily quiet. Since the Huangchao Uprising in the late Tang Dynasty, the original mountain people here have long been devoured by the flames of war. It was originally a place where people offered sacrifices and prayed for blessings, but now it has become a starting point for smuggling that hides dirt and evil.
Just as Li Yuan expected, not even a bird had landed before Shen Shi, let alone anyone visiting. Liu Jiangsheng in the temple seized the opportunity, gently placed a bag of sand on the altar, and then hid in the temple again to wait.
Everyone was extremely opposed to tonight's plan and believed that Li Yuan, as the coach, should not be involved in danger alone. It's not that Li Yuan wants to take advantage of the limelight, but tonight's target, Scarhead Ma Liu, must be extremely vigilant since he has been a gangster for many years and can deal with officials. Before Zishi takes the goods, he will send people up the mountain again and again. If he doesn't see the owner's carriage and horses, he will definitely not dare to show up in person. Then Li Yuan's plan will be completely in vain.
The sun goes down, night falls, and the bright moon rises again.
Dots of fire suddenly appeared on Huangmu Ridge, and then connected into one, contrasting with the stars in the sky.
In front of the small ruined temple, dozens of big men holding swords rushed up like black waves. Two young men holding torches separated a path from the crowd, leading a cold and stern man in black with heavy steps. Immediately afterwards, everyone hurriedly stood on both sides, all bowing their heads to greet him and not daring to look directly.
I saw that this man was not that tall. He had a dark face, sideburns, and a horrible scar that spread from his forehead to the back of his head, making him look very ferocious. The so-called green forest robbers often call themselves the emperor, who only respects heaven and does not fear man. Scarhead Ma Liu, the bandit leader who had long been famous for his ruthlessness and cunning in the Huaihe River area, no matter how much blood was on his hands, he actually bowed in front of the altar in a pretentious manner.
Ma Liu indifferently picked up the bag of sand on the altar and kept weighing it up and down in his broad palms. Then he walked aside expressionlessly and asked an unfamiliar young man in white in front of him. : "Aren't you walking on sand today?"
Then he pointed at the cart behind the young man that contained several sacks, and said suspiciously: "Why is there only one cart this time? Could it be that my boss can't trust me, Ma Liu?"
The young man's face remained unchanged, he grinned brightly and said, "It's been very popular lately. I heard that another Du Yuhou from Jinling has come to the city. My boss said it's better to be cautious!"
"Du Yuhou?" Ma Liu looked back at the group of big men behind him, and then smiled disdainfully at the young man: "This little brother may be back here for the first time. You might as well take a look at my brothers. Which one of them doesn't have anything in their hands?" Over the heads of the officers and soldiers? So what if there is a Du Yuhou? As for those Hong men who hang out in Jinling all day long, they will probably be scared to death when they see the knife! "
The big men burst into laughter: "Hahaha!..."
The young man was completely calm. He cupped his hands and said, "I heard that Du Yuhou just returned from the victory in Chu State. Even His Majesty praised him for his wisdom and courage! Sixth brother, it's better to be careful!"
Ma Liu picked his ears roughly with his fingers, and then shouted impatiently: "Humph! I mean, little brother, why are you so talkative? Your boss is a relative of the emperor! Are you still afraid of Du Yuhou? Deliver the goods quickly, don’t miss the time!”
The young man smiled slightly, then stepped aside and said, "Then please!"
"Noisy!" Ma Liu muttered a few words, and then called on several of his men to step forward to pull the cart. Just as he was about to turn around, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the young man's exposed shoes from the corner of his eye. He was suddenly startled and shouted. : "Yuntou Wupi! You are an officer!"
The young man in white stopped and was obviously stunned for a while. When he turned around, there was a sharp sword in his hand. The young man smiled calmly and said: "You got the answer right."
