Li Dan took one step forward and stood on the edge of the slope. He held a telescope in his hand and watched Lou Jun's actions below. He suddenly felt that his current posture was very much like a general with a sword and an horse.
But now he was standing on an unknown hill outside Luoqiao Town five hundred years ago, with two small camphor trees and shrubs in front of him.
A squirrel hesitated on a tree not far from him. It looked at these silent people and finally felt adventurous, so it turned around and returned to the dense branches and leaves.
"Lou Zishi is so lucky to have such a son!" Li Dan pushed the eyepiece in and sighed maturely.
Zhao Jingzi next to him also followed his example and put down his telescope. This thing is not easy to make, and a total of nine were made before and after. In addition to the two of them and Sheng Huaien, Wu Mao, Ma Jiu, and the three Yingzhengs had them (there was also one in the hands of Chen Sanwen).
"Thanks to the patrol's ingenious plan, otherwise it would be really difficult to capture him." After speaking, Zhao Jingzi turned around and said, "Is it true that we can only force him to retreat and not stay? The enemy is now suddenly hit and unable to retreat. Can't we take advantage of the situation to break it?" ?」
Li Dan walked downstairs, took a few steps with his hands behind his back, and said, "You can't be too greedy. Now that you have gained Long, you can look forward to Shu. How can there be so many cheap things?
The brothers have been fighting continuously for more than a day and a night, and some of the older ones are shaken. The enemy is a fresh force with enough food and sleep. If they really fight with their lives, winning or losing is still a matter of course!
It's not easy to bite him hard enough to make him retreat. Leave two heavenly kings behind? Unless we fight for hundreds of casualties.
But I still say the same thing, why are we here? The transportation is heavy, and destroying the enemy is not the goal. There is no need to fight for casualties. I promised my father that I will take everyone back home safely!
Therefore, the most important thing is to make him scared, injured, morale damaged, frightened and confused, so that he will not have the thought of heading west again, so that we can calmly transfer the supplies to Shangrao. "
After saying that, he pointed at Zhao Jingzi jokingly: "Look at the dark circles under your eyes. When you enter Shangrao City like this, which girl will throw a handkerchief to you?" Hei Mu, Mao Zaidi and the soldiers around him said They all laughed.
"Sir, the enemy has moved. They are reorganizing their troops!" Wu Mao, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. He never put down the telescope in his hand. "It looks like they are going to attack Huangling!"
"Signaling."
After hearing Li Dan's order, a soldier immediately pulled out two small flags behind him, ran to a slightly higher place behind and waved them. The officers and soldiers had their own set of flags, but Li Dan and others had not yet had time to learn them.
He simply wrote down the commonly used commands, and then compiled a list using the method of "three from the left, two from the right." After seeing it, the other party could look it up according to what was written on the list to know what it meant.
The method is simple and rough, and can only express uncomplicated content. Fortunately, it is enough for the moment.
The instruction issued by the soldiers now is actually just two words, telling Ma Jiu: Prepare for war!
The other party quickly replied: Got it.
The reason for doing this was mainly because the northern foot of Huangling Ridge was completely blocked by pine trees. Ma Jiu and others above could not see clearly the movements of the enemy below, so they thought of observing here and then using semaphores to inform the other side of the plan.
Ma Jiu and others were guarding the mountain, only to hear shouts from the side that the killing array was already gearing up.
Sergeant Lou got up early in the morning and was frightened. Now he had to climb such a steep hillside. All of them felt unhappy. When they left the official road and saw that they could no longer hear anything below, they began to curse and complain.
"You said that after taking Guangxin Mansion, you can eat, drink and have fun. How come you haven't even reached Guangxin, and you haven't even seen the city wall and you are already fighting for your life?"
"Oh! I'm so tired from climbing a hill. How can I still carry the knife when I see the soldiers? Damn it, this ghost mountain is too steep!"
"How far ahead is it? I ate two pancakes this early in the morning. I'm starving to death!"
"But no, who knew we would have to climb mountains? If we had known, we would have eaten more!"
Just as he was talking, the leading soldier in front saw a bamboo fence appearing in front of him, winding between the pine trees and extending to both ends.
"Hey, that's strange. Is this mountain private? Otherwise, who would build a fence on it?" A guy said, looking in both directions as he walked forward.
The fence can't be seen from end to end, it's as high as the chest, and it's quite solid but doesn't push even after I push it.
He wanted to see what was holding him up behind him, and when he stretched his head, there was a "chi" sound, and a knife slashed across his neck. The body fell on its back.
Because it was on a slope, it rolled down and knocked the people behind it to the ground.
"Hey you idiot, why did you bring the master with you when you rolled down? I...Oh my God! Killer!" The unfortunate man with blood on his hands shouted. Everyone around was stunned.
Just then, archers appeared from behind the fence. All the bows were fully strung, so close they were living targets.
The "boom, boom" sound of the bow string was accompanied by the "chi, chi" sound of the flying arrows, and the hillside was full of ghosts crying and wolves howling.
"It's not good, there are defenders above!"
When the news came, Lou Shiming was very angry: "There are defenders, why don't you attack them? Are you all eating for free?" Suddenly, there was a loud killing cry at the northern foot of Huangling Ridge.
But soon Lou Shiming realized his mistake. The northern foothills are steep, dark, and tree-covered. The defenders take advantage of this, while the attackers not only lose their balance, but will soon lose their physical strength.
Seeing that there were already hundreds of casualties, Lou Shiming had no choice but to grit his teeth and withdraw his people.
He sent a team to the west and then south to attack the army's flank and rear to rescue his front team. However, there were two loud "bang, bang" noises soon, and loud shouts of killing began in the west.
The person who was sent came back in a panic, reporting that there was a general blocking the way ahead with a cannon. They had been waiting there and had set up a fence to block the way, making it impossible to pass!
"Hiss——!" Lou Shiming took a breath of air. He strained his ears to listen and found that the shouts of death in the pine forest had become much quieter. He thought quickly and ordered: "Quickly, occupy Luoqiao!"
"Young Marshal, aren't we going to save them?" someone asked in panic.
"You're saving me!" Lou Shiming pointed with his horsewhip: "There are enemies on three sides, so why should we kill people inside? Can't you see it?" Everyone woke up as if from a dream, and hurriedly shouted for the team to turn around. The ground retreated towards Luoqiao.
"The enemy is coming!" When Li Dan saw the big flag opposite and the burly man with a yellow beard on the black horse, he put down the telescope, carefully placed it in a wooden box carried by Mao Zaidi, and ordered:
"Instruct all troops to prepare for battle. Firegun soldiers listen to the whistle and start shooting. No unauthorized fire is allowed!"
Unexpectedly, Lou Shiming was very smart. He suddenly remembered: Isn't there a trap in Luo Qiao? Looking to the left and right, he called out a leader:
"You lead five hundred people ahead to occupy Luoqiao. No one inside is allowed to stay and all are driven away!"
"Follow the order!" The leader thought there was money to be made here, so he hurriedly led his men towards Luo Qiao.
Lou Shiming watched them rush into the street and breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems like I'm overly concerned?"
"Where, where, Second Marshal, this is called foresight..."
Before he finished his flattering words, there was a loud banging sound, and then many people in Tsing Yi came out from both sides of the street carrying horses to block the road.
"Foresighted?" Lou Shiming whipped the toady on the head. When I looked back, I saw some scattered soldiers fleeing back from the side road.
The soldiers stepped forward and caught one and brought it to him. "What happened? Tell me quickly!" Lou Shiming shouted impatiently.
It turned out that everyone was a little wary at first, but then they became bold after seeing that there was no movement. Unexpectedly, after entering, a street led down, and the alleys on both sides were blocked, which made everyone feel bad.
At this time, a sharp whistle sounded, and firecrackers stretched out from the sealed alleys, leaving everyone with nowhere to hide.
"A row of muskets knocked down dozens of people, and they fired several rounds in succession. Then all the doors of each house were opened, and there were all the group trainers hidden inside. The brothers were stunned and killed miserably!" The one who escaped back Cry loudly.
"Then how did you escape?" someone asked him.
"The little one was so frightened that he ran to the end of the street without looking back. There were few people blocking him there. He circled around again to get rid of the pursuers before running back."
Get rid of this escaped home
Man, Lou Shiming stood at the bottom of the slope and looked up at Luoqiao Village with its flags fluttering above.
"Young Marshal, how about we attack again?" Someone tried to suggest from the side.
"No." Lou Shiming shook his head: "Let the team continue to retreat. After the three hundred people are gone, the others will retreat to the ferry!"
"Well, wouldn't our trip have been in vain?"
"Hmph, look up there. There are muskets, swords, shields, and spears. There are nearly a thousand people at least. If we attack from the rear, how many brothers will we lose?
Not even half of the 500 people who went out came back. This group of people dared to offend the 4,000 people of the third brother. What do we have the remaining 1,000 people? "
As he spoke, he looked back at the pine forest. The shouts of death over there had basically subsided.
"Who is sure that Luo Bridge can be taken down with a single charge? If you can't take it down, why don't you stay on this hillside and wait for others to attack from behind? Stop talking nonsense and retreat immediately!"
"Hey, inspection, the Second Heavenly King has withdrawn his troops!" Wu Mao shouted.
"Run away now? You should attack again. You spent the whole night preparing!" Zhao Jingzi clapped his thigh and cried out regretfully.
"Humph, he had to run away. He killed hundreds of people on this street at once, and the Second Heavenly King felt pain." After Wu Mao said jokingly, he suggested to Li Dan: "It's time to send someone to the street for inspection. Please help, I guess there are still a few who are unwilling to surrender and will fight to the death."
"Let Gu Da and Song Jiuyi go." After Li Dan gave the order, he put away the telescope and asked Hei Mu, "Old Hei, do you dare to go down there?"
"Does the inspection want someone to take the head of the Second Heavenly King?" Kuroki nodded and asked.
"No, you go tell him and I will come down and meet with him right away."
"Ah? How can you personally incur danger when inspecting?" Kuroki and others almost said in unison.
"Don't worry, his soldiers have no fighting spirit, and Lou Shiming knows it too. Go and tell him that we will meet on the official road, and each of us can bring two or three followers. I have an autographed letter from his brother to give to him."
After saying that, Li Dan asked Mao Zaidi to lead the horse. "Mr. Wu is presiding here. Xianfu, would you like to go down and see this rebellious Ertian King?"
"As you wish!" Zhao Jingzi grinned: "If he is dishonest and comes here voluntarily to get a stick, Xiao Yuen Long will not be considered a breach of trust. It was you, Li Sanlang, who made the date with him." Li Dan laughed after hearing this.
The sun has risen, and standing on the ground for a while makes people feel stuffy, and the sweat on the body seems to be unstoppable.
It was obviously inappropriate to meet under such a bright sun. Li Dan had already chosen a location. That place is about 200 steps east of Luoqiao. There is a large camphor tree with a crown like an umbrella.
Kuroki brought two soldiers and set up tables and chairs, leaving Mao Zaidi to serve. The others retreated to the edge of the woods dozens of steps away.
Li Dan dismounted there and walked into the shade of the big tree with Zhao Jingzi and General Dou Shao (Dou San'er) as the representative of the army.
Lou Shiming also dismounted dozens of troops away and walked into the shade of the tree with two followers. He saw Li Dan stunned for a moment, then slowly stepped forward and clasped his fists, "I heard that young heroes are being inspected, but I didn't expect him to be so young. I'm really surprised!"
"Thank you, General Akashi." Li Dan also clasped his fists in front of his chest and looked at the opponent. This Lou Shiming is slightly shorter than his brother, but not as tall and strong as him.
"The general has a good reputation for traveling across states and counties. Li Sanlang is too young to call himself a hero, but it is appropriate to use it on a general."
Lou Shiming didn't expect this answer. He was startled for a moment, laughed loudly, and pointed at Dou San'er:
"The officers and soldiers are here. You don't call me a thief, but you call me a hero. Aren't you afraid of losing your official position? Oh, there is also a yellow belt brother here. I'm sorry for my blindness." He said, but Without any respect at all, he pulled out a chair and sat down arrogantly.
When Zhao Jingzi was about to speak, Li Dan smiled and raised his hand to block him, and sat down on his own.
He just hung up his sword, wore a green arrow-sleeved shirt, and had only a green cloth turban on his head. He had no armor to cover his body. He sat face to face with the rebel and said calmly:
"You have come a long way, the weather is hot, Dan should do your best to be a landlord." After saying this, Zhao Jingzi clapped his hands and took out a flat pot from his side and put it on the table.
"This wine was chilled for you in the well last night. Please taste it." After that, he filled the two silver cups that Zhao Jingzi put on the table, took a drink of his own, and then motioned to the other party.
"Shouldn't the wine be boiled and drunk?" Lou Shiming was a little surprised and said hesitantly as he looked at the wine glass.
"Normally, wine is drunk hot. The Feng Ru and Feng Quan brewed in collaboration with the Three Generals are distilled spirits, so they can be drank at room temperature. But this wine is different, it is a low-temperature wine.
I and the workers found a cave and fermented it at low temperature in the cave. It was named "Yuqingliu". This wine must be drunk cold, as it tastes worse when warmed. "
As he spoke, Li Dan poured himself another glass and raised it as an invitation to drink together.
After hesitating for a moment, Lou Shiming reached out and picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. Then he looked at the wine glass in disbelief and said, "It really is a good wine, a good wine!"
Li Dan laughed and poured a glass for Dou San'er: "Xianfu has drank it, but you haven't. Come on, you can have a taste too."
Dou San'er was flattered and drank it, and said in surprise: "Excellent inspector! There is really wine in this world that can be drunk cold!"
"Nothing in this world is impossible, only imaginable. Once you think of it, you will do everything possible to achieve it. What happens once you achieve it?
Honor, money, and status are all within easy reach. The third general is very knowledgeable, am I right? "Li Dan asked Lou Shiming with a smile.
Lou Shiming looked up at him for a while, waved his hand and said, "Inspector Li, didn't you invite me under this big tree today just to treat me to a drink?
Look behind you, there are at least two to three thousand troops, including officers, soldiers, and regiments. Why didn't you come to suppress me, instead of dragging me here to drink? "
He drank two or three cups in a row, his face shone with light, and he called himself me instead of "I" when he spoke.
