Zhu Qing said calmly: "Anren is indeed important, everyone traveling from south to north passes through here.
It is almost a hundred miles from any surrounding county to this city. Travelers and merchants must stop or replenish their supplies in this county. "
As he spoke, he looked at the eyes around him: "Zhu knew this firsthand when he was selling livestock."
"Brother Dan, you are interested in Anren. What are your plans?" Han An asked.
Li Dan did not answer the question immediately. Instead, he muttered something to himself. He walked a few steps and stood still, then suddenly asked: "Has Zhu Siwu (Zhu Qing was nominally the "March Siwu" of the Qing Shirt Team) here? Anren? By water or by land? "
"We traveled by water and land, and also spent the night in the city to rest and pay taxes."
"How well-populated is Anren? What's the topography like? You tell me." Li Dan said, pulling up a stool and sitting down, and asked everyone to sit down around the map.
He also asked Zhong Siqi and Li Biao to invite Mr. Ba, Zhao Jingzi, Liu She, Yang Dayi and Ma Jiu's nephews, Zhang Bo, Liu Hongsheng and Chen Sanwen respectively. Let’s listen and discuss together in the name of “getting together”.
Ask Mao Zaidi to get two bottles of Fengquan, and tell the kitchen to find some side dishes to go with the wine, or go to nearby restaurants and food stalls to buy ready-made ones.
When everyone saw this, they understood that this was actually a matter of discussing matters in the name of bringing good luck to Han and Zhu, and immediately stood up to help.
Those who carried the table carried the table, those who looked for chairs and stools looked for chairs and stools, and got busy. Han An pulled Li Dan aside and asked softly:
"Brother Dan, what are you going to do? Why are you suddenly interested in Anren for no reason? You are asking so many people to come over. Shouldn't you close that picture first? It won't be too many people to see it, right?"
Maps were very sensitive at the time and not everyone could possess them. If you are not an official or a military official, you might be accused of having ulterior motives. In the worst case, you might even be charged with treason.
After all, Han An had suffered a lot. Once he was bitten by a snake, he would be afraid of the well rope for ten years.
"Sir, don't worry. These are all our brothers who fought together on the battlefield. They are used to maps." Seeing Li Dan say this, Han An nodded, but he was still a little uneasy.
Li Dan called all his close friends, leaving only Lin Shuntang, Gao Monk and Luo You, who were not familiar with Yu Gan, to lead the team on the school field, while the rest arrived one after another. There was no room to sit in the room and the lighting was poor, so the tables and chairs were arranged in the courtyard.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Dan took Han An and Zhu Qing out to meet everyone. Those who know each other greet each other, and those who do not know each other are introduced one by one.
Han An saw that everyone was full of energy, and some of them were wearing arrow sleeves and armor more seriously. They were carrying knives and holding swords in a fierce and tiger-like manner. He couldn't help but be surprised at how everyone's mental outlook had changed in the past two months.
Everyone sat down in order, and the wine was poured, but everyone looked at the person in front of them. Han An was just wondering when he saw Li Dan standing up and everyone stood up, and Han An also stood up hurriedly.
Li Dan pressed his hands downward for everyone to sit down, and then said, "Brothers are invited to come today because Mr. Han and Zhu Siwu are visiting from this county, so we specially set up a banquet and invited everyone to welcome them. .
In addition, under the notice, a group of bandit soldiers led by Qu Commander Yang He and Yang Xing and his son fled into Fuzhou and have now occupied Luxi, Jinxi, and Dongxiang. Not long ago, Yang Xing defeated the official army near Huangxi Town. He also marched into Anren and peered northward at Huangbu. "
"What? The thief has arrived in Huangbu?" Because Li Dan had told it to be kept secret in advance, no one who came to the table knew it, especially those from Yu Ganji who were shocked when they first heard about it!
"Oh, isn't that already at our door?" Zhang Bo shouted with his eyes widened.
Next, Li Dan talked about the recent instability in the surrounding area and the county magistrate's hope that everyone (actually Fan Taizun just wanted him to go back) would return as soon as possible. He also briefly introduced what he had heard about before and after Qiu Tianlu's defeat. Everyone at the table frowned and said nothing.
"The ten thousand officers and soldiers are just gone?" Zhao Jingzi slammed the table angrily: "The corpses are just a meal, those bastards in Nanchang City!"
Han An had already noticed the yellow belt on his waist, and he understood this descendant of the royal family very well.
Angry, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"The trouble is that a big defeat will seriously affect the morale of the officers and soldiers, and I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to fight in the field in the future." Yang Dayi shook his head.
"Hey, I just defended that the magistrate of Dongxiang was captured. Then, the magistrate of Anren?" Chen Sanwen suddenly noticed this detail for some reason.
"I haven't heard of it." Zhu Qing shook his head: "The news we heard on the way here was very confusing. Some said he surrendered, some said he died. In short, there are different opinions." He added again:
"To say that this county magistrate is still very young, he is about the same age as... Zhao Sima. I once saw him take office in Anren. The gentry in the city came to greet him on the pier. He was really a talented person wearing a Confucian shirt.
If we just let the thieves die, tsk, what a pity! "
"Oh, Zhu Siwu has been to Anren before, so I would like to ask him to introduce us to the details of that city. You might as well listen while drinking and ask if you don't understand anything. Come on, Mr. Zhu is here Come ahead."
Li Dan invited him, but Zhu Qing was too embarrassed to stand over. He quickly waved his hand and said that he would explain it to everyone from his current position. Li Dan left it to him.
"Anren City is right by the Xinjiang River. The east and south of the city are on high ground, and the west and north are relatively flat. From Yugan is Baima, then Yangbu, Huangbu, and twenty miles further is Anren."
"Mr. Zhu, how many miles is it from Yugan to Anren?" Zhao Jingzi asked.
"A hundred miles. From Yugan to Yangbu, Huangbu, and Anren, there are more than twenty miles in between, almost less."
"Okay, please continue." Zhao Jingzi quickly wrote down on the paper with a pencil. Han An looked at the pen that did not require refilling across the table, wondering how it could write.
"There are seven gates in Anren, two are connected to the pier, three are on the mountain, and the two land gates are the Gexun Gate in the south and the Gongji Gate in the north."
"Is there a moat?" Zhao Jingzi asked again.
"No. There are two rivers in the south and north that we can rely on. There are wooden bridges outside the south gate and southwest gate, called Wuyi Bridge and Wanke Bridge respectively. There are also two bridges outside the north gate, and Jinfeng Bridge is in the west. , and to the east is Xima Bridge." Zhu Qing introduced:
"To the west is Jinjiang (Xinjiang), with two piers, the south and the north. The north pier is outside Guanlan Gate of the west gate, and all merchant ships are moored.
This is the earliest pier in the county, but the area between the pier and the city wall is narrow and cramped, so passenger ships and official ships go to the south pier.
The South Pier is outside Mengjin Gate in the southwest, more than 700 steps away from the city wall, but not far from the city is the county government office. It is paved with stone and is quite impressive. For example, when the Zhou magistrate took office, he got off the boat at the South Pier and entered Mengjin Gate... "
Zhu Qing introduced things carefully and never tire of asking questions to anyone. His gentleness and patience aroused the favor of many people.
"...However, although the city wall is four miles in circumference, there are only six to seven thousand residents in this county, and the rest are traveling traders and resting guests.
Therefore, there are quite a lot of open spaces in the city, especially in the east part of the city. Shops and residents are crowded on both sides of the street from the Temple of Fortune to the county school. The west part of the city is flat and mostly residential areas... "
"...There is an abandoned Taoist temple in the east of the city, the name of which cannot be found. There is a dilapidated ancient temple at the south end of the city. It is said that it was built in the Sui Dynasty. It was built on the mountain and has a Tang pagoda and a Buddhist temple.
The stone hill behind the temple is the highest point in the city. From the pagoda on it, you can look around for 20 to 30 miles.
I was invited by a friend to visit. This temple has an important location, with Mengjin Gate on the west side and the road leading to the south gate at the foot of the back mountain in the southeast... "
"The Xinjiang River flows here and forms two large sandbanks. The one outside Mengjin Gate is opposite to the Tang Pagoda, so it is named Tazhou, and the one outside the west gate is called Zhongzhou.
Zhongzhou occupies a vast area with two villages on it. During the dry season every year, you can cross the river to reach the upper ferry on the other side. During the wet season, the Jinjiang River flows from the river to the Xiaoxin River on the other side. At this time, you can cross the river again. You have to take a boat.
Because of the role of these two sandbars, when the Jinjiang River flows through Anren, the water is strong in the upper reaches and becomes gentler as it goes downstream... "
He talked eloquently, and later Li Dan asked Mao Zaidi and Zhong Siqi to take out the wooden stand where the map was originally hung, put it on new paper, and asked him to draw a rough picture, and then pointed at the picture.
Now everyone will understand more clearly.
At this time, Han An understood why Li Dan wanted to get that map. It seemed that he couldn't even understand the orders when marching and fighting without that map.
When Zhu Qing finished speaking, Li Dan took the lead and everyone applauded. Although Zhu Qing had experienced military training before, he was still not used to it after two months. He blushed, laughed, waved his hands and said repeatedly: "I can't afford it, I can't afford it!"
"Everyone has finished listening. What do you think, brothers?" Li Dan asked with a smile.
"You mean to defend, but you want to say that my way home is blocked?" Yang Dayi frowned: "If there is no way to go here, we have to take a detour over Wannian and return to Yugan, right?"
"That's a question." Li Dan nodded: "That's what Mr. Han said. There was a thief in the neighbor's yard across from my house. Do you think it's bad or not? But that's not all!" Li Dan looked at everyone:
"If Anren is always occupied by thieves like this, he can come to Yugan anytime he wants to snatch him away. Then will Anren still have a chance to live?" After saying this, he looked at the crowd and saw that most of them were nodding, and then continued:
"Besides, our manor is at White Horse Temple, and they have already arrived at Huangbu. That means the manor is already in danger. It takes two days for infantry and one day for cavalry to reach the manor."
"Furthermore, I originally thought of handing over my duties and doing some industrial and commercial things so that everyone can have serious business and income. I have discussed these with Chen Sanlang." Li Dan nodded towards Chen Sanwen:
"But now they are blocking our necks. Not only are the minerals and materials from Fuzhou and Jianchang blocked, but our trade routes to Shangrao and Shaowu are also cut off.
Not only that, I'm worried that the Yang family and his son will be connected with lake bandits and mining bandits. If the thieves become more powerful, the copper, iron, black lead, and gray powder from Dexing and Leping will not be able to get through, and even how Wu Maocai and Heimu will return in the future will be a problem!
Fan Xianzun is so worried that he can't sleep or eat all day long, so he specially asked Mr. Han and Mr. Zhu to come to me with his handwritten letter, saying that he heard that our Qingshirt team had made meritorious service outside, and hoped that we would not forget Yu. This is true for all the folks who did it. "
"Sanlang, why don't we fight back?" Gu Da jumped up immediately after hearing this.
"No, we are here to serve, and we are not fooling around!" Yang Yi pulled him to sit down and looked around: "It's not just a matter of one or two people going back. If there is a big noise, people from Yu Gan are evading service. That's called injustice.
We have to find a way to silence the government. Of course, if tomorrow the government says there is no need to do anything anymore and tells us to disband and go home, that would be the best. But this is impossible.
But... defense, I think the brothers who are not in the corvee can go back first? ” He was referring to those who surrendered, such as Liu She, as well as the Shen family brothers, Master Ba or Zhao Jingzi.
"Do you think we can do the opposite?" Liu She's eyes lit up, he leaned forward and said, "For the government, it doesn't matter who is serving here, the key is the number. As long as the number of them remains unchanged."
We have no way to repay you for the great kindness we have received from the defense. If not, we can keep your names and continue to serve, so that you can escape and return to your hometown to protect the country and the people. What if we bribe the officials of the garrison office and the ghosts don't notice? "
"Ha, why go to such trouble? In fact, we also came here based on other people's names!" Gu Da's words caused the whole audience to burst into laughter.
Li Dan and Han An looked at each other and both felt that this method was feasible. When they came back this time, the number of people in the team was larger than the actual number. The reason was that they brought back more than 200 soldiers and leaders at all levels who were unwilling to leave Li Dan's command after they were converted.
So Li Dan ordered Huang Qin, Shen Jie, and Feng Shen to lead the archery team and the detective team respectively to set up a small village at Shizi Rock, both for field training and to cover up the extra personnel.
"Well, I'm sorry for bothering you brothers!" Li Dan thanked him with his hands. He decided to give priority to the first batch of people from Raozhou to join the team training and take these people back first. ap.
Fortunately, the general service will not exceed three months, and the rotating civilian husbands will soon arrive to let those who came first go back to hand over their errands, so Liu She and others can endure it for another half month at most.
Once the matter was decided, everyone immediately started making preparations. Li Dan, Gu Da, Yang Yi, Zhang Bo, Liu Hongsheng, Yang Dayi, Xie Baozi and Chen
Sanwen (he is not on the service list and came here voluntarily) will leave, followed by Zhao Jingzi, the Shen family brothers, Wan Siyou, Zhou Tu and Liao Sanqing.
Among those left behind are Song Jiuyi, Master Ba, Li Biao, Huang Qin, Su Piantou, Han Si, Liu She (Tie Linglong), Gao Hanzi (monk), Luo You (right hook), Lin Shuntang, Xin Chi , Wei Zhou'er and others, with Liu She as the leader, Master Ba as the assistant, Song Jiuyi and Gao Hanzi as the left and right deputies.
Afterwards, Li Dan prepared a gift and went to see Mr. Cai, showed him Fan Xianzun's letter and presented him with the gift.
Cai Ba always felt troubled when he heard that several brothers would go back with him to prepare for the city defense team training. However, he immediately heard that replacements had been arranged and they promised that the number would not be reduced and Cai Ba would not be given to him. Always causing trouble.
Not only did he accept the gift, but he was also able to establish a relationship with a civil servant. Cai Ba was very happy to let the favor go and wrote a letter to Magistrate Fan, explaining Li Dan's contribution and his gratitude to Yu Qian.
Then Li Dan introduced Liu She to President Cai, and learned from him that the replacement servicemen in Raozhou for the next round had already gathered in Wannian.
Back at the station, Li Dan sent someone to invite Xiao Wanhe, Zhou Qin and Tan Zhongxiao to come over and talk.
"What did you say? Luxi fell, Jinxi and Dongxiang fell too?" The three of them were stunned when they heard this bolt from the blue when they sat down.
Xiao Wanhe was okay. At most, he couldn't return to Ji'an due to blocked roads, but Zhou Qin and Tan Zhongxiao's hometowns were already in flames of war, and they couldn't sit still.
"You want to go back? What should we do?"
After listening to Li Dan's thoughts, the three of them looked at me and I looked at you.
"Li Sanlang, are you kidding? With two hundred people, you want to take Anren back?" Tan Zhongxiao looked at him in disbelief: "Even if you have the ability, I think you are still underestimating the enemy, right?"
