After listening to Lu Jiu's general description of the terrain and defenses of Sanhu Village, Mao Taigong asked in surprise: "You said they have a catapult? How did you see that thing since you have never entered the village?"
"There's no need to go inside. It's standing on the city platform. You can see it from a long way away." Lu Jiu straightened his arms hard.
"Huh? On the wall?"
"Yeah, it's not that big. It looks like half a room."
"Nonsense! How far can a catapult be thrown with such a small catapult?"
"About two hundred steps. I saw them practicing throwing into the open space outside the city, and I estimated that it was about two hundred steps from the car to the place where the stone landed."
Lu Jiu gestured: "It's a hundred steps to the other side of the river. Anyone within a hundred steps of the other side will be beaten, so the casualties in crossing the river will definitely be high!"
Mao Taigong frowned and hugged his shoulders for a long time before saying, "Then, what can we do to make it easier to fight?"
"The widow said that Leijia Bay is surrounded by water, and there is only a causeway on the south side to enter.
The embankment is obscured by trees but difficult to see from the outside. You have to go around Chenjiadun and go to the ford in Shujiabu in the south. Then you go north along the river bank and you see a forest. Next to it is the embankment. "
Lu Jiu explained clearly what Ma Jiu taught him very seriously. At that time, the old captain was afraid that he would not understand, so he specially asked He Wei to take him for a walk along the embankment.
"Hey, that's it!" Mao Taigong patted the armrest of the chair in surprise: "It's strange that they stationed troops here. How dare there be such a secret here!" After thinking about it, he asked again: "How wide is this river?"
"Due to dredging and widening during the construction of the fortress, the river channel is said to be about 70 paces (50 meters) long."
"Is it so wide?" Mao Taigong frowned.
"That's troublesome. I don't know how deep it is. If there are crossbows and catapults on the wall, a strong attack will indeed cause heavy casualties." The captain of the soldiers said softly from the side: "It's a good thing Lu Jiu went to see it, otherwise it would be terrible What a loss!".
"Well, I went out to look carefully this time, and Lao Jiu deserves a lot of credit!" Mao Taigong raised his eyes and nodded, saying regretfully:
"I asked why Polygonum Flower asked me to be the vanguard. Sure enough, this bone is not easy to chew. If I had known better, I would not have fought with others and let others take the lead!"
As he was talking, someone suddenly came to report that the Governor had sent a messenger to deliver a letter. When he took it over and saw that he was told to send troops to Leijiawan immediately, he couldn't help but get angry.
After the messenger left, Mao Taigong slapped the letter on the table and cursed unhappily: "Mother, it's up to him to beat him, and it's up to him not to beat him. Just this sentence, I will have to spend a lot of money again." To convince the leaders with words?
One moment I am anxious to march in the army, the next moment I am called to set up camp, and now I have to set out again after setting up camp for a few days. It is such a hassle! ” He finished venting and sat there angrily without speaking. It was awkward for both of them in the room.
The captain of the soldiers raised his head and said softly: "Chief, what the Governor said, this is called a military order. I'm afraid we have to move when we should."
"I know!" Mao Taigong curled his lips. He turned around and saw Lu Jiu standing there with his hands folded. He called him over and said, "Old Jiu, since you are here, I have to trouble you to make a trip and send back the order to everyone." The leader was invited to discuss matters.
You have done a good job today. Go to the kitchen and do what I said. Pull off the legs of the duck in the pot, wrap them up and take them back! "
"Oh, good, thank you, chief!"
Lu Jiu came out of the kitchen holding a lotus leaf bag, thinking in her heart: If you want to send me two duck legs as a reward, the promise of having enough food for five days will be ignored? I bother!
Thinking of the old captain's face, he clicked his lips. Well, it looks like this has to be done. Regardless of whether it's true or not, first hand over Mr. Mao's head to Chief Ma!
When the Jiang family's send-off team left Shinao Village, the entire village was still immersed in joy.
The smell of firecracker smoke echoed in the tip of the nose. After the banquet, the bride-to-be team returned drunkenly to the ship to pull anchor and set sail. The smile on Chen Tong's face gradually faded. When the two boats turned into black spots, he couldn't wait to leave.
"Fifth brother, you are not going to have a wedding, where are you going?" Chen Ju, the best man beside him, asked in surprise. List
Ju's father and Chen Yuanhai are cousins. He followed Chen Yuanhai when he was a boy and was one of his most capable generals.
Later, he was separated and became the leader of Shangtang Village, which was attached to Shinao Village. Chen Ju's mother was a concubine, and he was sent to Chen Yuanhai since he was a child. Firstly, he was used as a hostage, and secondly, he was nominally Chen Tong's playmate.
This time he was originally scheduled to stay in Shinao Village, but Chen Tong unexpectedly returned to the village unexpectedly. Chen Ju felt very dissatisfied, guessing that he was worried about him.
But as soon as the wedding was over, Chen Tong took off his red clothes and ordered his followers to get their armor and weapons, as if he was about to leave, leaving Chen Ju confused and at a loss.
"Ayou, have you forgotten your duty to stay behind?" Chen Tong turned around and asked reproachfully.
"No, no..."
"Isn't that good? I'm going to chase my father now, and you can guard your house and wait for me to come back!"
"Ah?" Chen Ju had drank a lot just now, and now he was still a little dazed and couldn't react: "You, you're leaving before the wedding?" He finally asked this question.
Chen Tong sneered: "A man who pursues success, how can he covet the pleasure of bed? Besides, it won't be too late when I come back, and the Jiang family's daughter can't fly, so why worry? It would be a pity if I can't catch up in this battle." !」
"Hey, why are you running around like this? It's better not to come back and just follow my second uncle."
"If I don't come back, I'm afraid that the Jiang family will have some misunderstandings and ideas when they see that I'm not here." Chen Tong opened his arms and asked the soldiers to attach armor to him. At the same time, he said, "Now that the Jiang family is gone, they know that I am in the village. I don’t dare to move lightly. Do you understand?”
"Oh." Chen Ju then understood why he came back, and suddenly remembered: "Then, what did the bride say?"
"Just tell her that I have a battle to fight, and ask her to wait for me for a few days, and then I can repair the bridal chamber when I come back!" Chen Tong felt that the wild geese he had obtained could not escape anyway, so he did not take Jiang Yun'er's feelings into consideration at all. .
He wants to pursue galloping and fighting on the battlefield in exchange for people's praise and admiration for him. In fact, this is what Chen Tong pursues.
In the past, his conquest of women made him feel proud and happy, but as he got older, he found that the admiration of millions of people was more exciting, and the fear and submission of a few women seemed insignificant compared to this.
As for the fact that his father wanted to get the Jiang family's daughter pregnant with the Chen family's seed, Chen Tong was a little disapproving of it. It would happen sooner or later anyway, so what's the rush?
He is now obsessed with catching up with his father. I should be the first one to invade Santang and break down the enemy's gate!
Chen Tong got on his horse and said to Chen Ju: "Tell my mother and let her know that I'm leaving!" After saying that, he turned the horse's head and led a few people from the east gate of Shinao Village to the back mountain.
Chen Ju originally thought that his wife (Chen Yuanhai's wife) would be angry and anxious after hearing this. Unexpectedly, after the other party heard about it, he only muttered: "This kid is so wild-minded that he can't even stay in the bridal chamber."
Forget it, I'll be back in a few days anyway. Just go and talk to the second young lady and tell her not to worry. Don't go out in the hospital for these two days, and wait patiently for him to come back in a few days. "
"Uh, yes!" Chen Ju was getting a little drunker and felt annoyed: These ladies treat me like a housekeeper!
He understood from his wife's words that it turned out that the mother and son had already had a bad relationship, and they had agreed that Chen Tong would leave as soon as the bride arrived. However, the wife did not expect that her son would not even care about the bridal chamber and left in a hurry.
Also, his father is on the front line, how can a son still care about his wedding night in the rear?
Alas, even though they both have the surname Chen, they are still treated as if they have a foreign surname! Chen Ju was furious, but he had to swallow his anger and go back to deliver a message to the bride.
The girls and boys all recognized this "nephew", so no one stopped him when they saw him walking back.
When Chen Ju came outside his new house, Chen Tong's concubine, Mrs. Xu, came out with two girls who were married to him to ask him what was going on. When he heard that his wife had sent him to deliver a message to the second young mistress, it was difficult to let the bride come out. , and asked a girl to accompany him in.
In fact, Chen Ju has been to this house many times before, but after it was decorated as a wedding room, he came back for the first time. He only felt the fragrance lingering, and everything was covered in red and gold.
, the aroma made him feel dizzy.
The bride was invited over, bowed a little and asked, "Are you sent here by your mother-in-law? What message do you want you to tell?"
Chen Ju then repeated the wife's words exactly as they were. The bride was speechless for a long time and then said, "Okay, I understand."
Chen Ju felt that his cousin could really bear to leave this little lady in an empty room and wait. He didn't know whether he would be back in three or five days, or in two or three months.
I sighed secretly in my heart, and felt that this little lady's voice was soft, gentle, and quite kind, and I felt more and more pity for her. Secretly observing his body size, posture, and shoes, he suddenly felt that the room was getting hot.
Jiang Yun'er was very confused when she saw that he didn't speak. She was covered up and couldn't see the other person's situation clearly.
Just as he was about to open the mouth of the sandalwood, he suddenly heard the generals rising up from far and near, and someone faintly shouted: "Kill them, break the stronghold, stop them...!"
At this time, the girls in the courtyard and the house also heard it. While everyone was at a loss, a servant stumbled to the door of the courtyard holding a pole and shouted:
"There are thieves attacking the village. They have already rushed through the gate. Take the bride and run away! Hide, hide everyone!"
Before he finished speaking, there was a "swish" sound, and there was an arrow on his back, and he fell down. Suddenly there was chaos inside and outside, and the concubine had long since disappeared.
Jiang Yun'er stayed in the room at a loss. In the blink of an eye, there were only two dowry girls left beside her.
Unexpectedly, these two were taught by finless porpoises from childhood, and they are loyal and somewhat brave. He immediately went to the luggage and pulled out the sword, shouting: "Miss, hide quickly, let's stop the thief!"
"Hide? Where are you hiding?" Jiang Yun'er became anxious at this time and pulled off the hijab on her head and shouted.
"I-I know a place"
Jiang Yun'er was startled when she heard the man's voice. Then she remembered that the man hadn't left yet. He was sent by her mother-in-law to deliver a message. He seemed to be a relative of the Chen family. "You, do you know where to hide people?" she asked with a trembling voice.
I didn't expect to encounter such misfortune on the first day after getting married. Jiang Yun'er didn't even know which direction her current room faced, let alone other things!
"I know, sister-in-law, come with me quickly!" The moment Yun'er pulled off his hijab, Chen Ju saw the soft and beautiful face suddenly showing the courage of a hero to save the beauty, and he strode out the door.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I heard the sound of wind in my ears. A girl shouted: "Be careful!" and knocked down an arrow with the back of the knife in her hand.
"Miss, hurry up!" Another girl shouted. She saw a few guys shouting "There are women here" appearing at the entrance of the courtyard, and immediately went up to them with her companions.
The situation was critical and there was no time to think too much. Jiang Yun'er threw off the obstructive cloak, lifted up her skirt and ran behind Chen Ju. She had lived in a peaceful environment with her father since she was a child, and she had never experienced anything like this.
Jiang Yun'er was so flustered and desperate that she didn't even care that her skirt was scratched. She just looked at Chen Ju's back and ran forward.
Finally, Chen Ju opened a small, low door and waved her in. Then he got in and closed the door behind his back.
Only then did Jiang Yun'er take care of looking around. It turned out that this was a firewood house. The area is very small, about half the size of a room.
There seemed to be no windows. It was very dark after the door was closed, with only some light coming in from the gaps between the wooden boards.
Bundles of branches and stacks of chopped firewood were stacked on the wall near the door. There was something behind them, which seemed to be the frame of a bed. But there was no bed board, and there were piles of straw.
"Sister-in-law." Chen Ju called her softly, pointing behind her and then above her. Jiang Yun'er turned around and saw that it was a broken table, and she understood instantly.
Chen Ju pulled out an old chair for her to step on to the table. Then he heard the rustling of straw on it, and then there was no movement. He also got on the table, first carefully put the chair back into place, and then held it up with both hands. Also on top of the bed frame.
In the darkness, he smelled the incense on Jiang Yuner's body, hesitated, and lay down carefully next to her.
It turned out that there was a thick layer of straw spread on the wooden boards on top of the bed. "How do you know this place?" Jiang Yun'er asked in surprise in the darkness.
"My fifth brother, oh, Chen Tong, and I used to play crazy in the yard. We didn't want adults to find us, so we hid here. It worked very well. We were never found in this house." Chen Ju said with a smile. stand up:
"But after he turned fifteen, he suddenly stopped playing with me, saying it was a child's trick. Alas! Only I sometimes come over and lie down on it, quiet and quiet."
As soon as Chen Ju finished speaking, suddenly there was the sound of someone shouting and the sound of weapons clashing outside, and he hurriedly said "shhh".
The door was knocked open with a bang, and an iron spearhead stuck in and shook it wildly for a few times. Then someone stretched out his head to take a look: "Hey, that little girl is obviously coming this way!"
"Rotten fish, do you have any there?"
"No, it's all piled with firewood and branches."
"Come here and search these rooms carefully!"
"Oh!" The rotten fish took back its iron spear and disappeared. I quickly remembered the sound of pots, pans and spoons falling to the ground. It must be those people searching the room next to me.
Jiang Yun'er raised his body slightly and looked down. When he saw that there was no movement, his arms softened and he lay down on his back. He said softly: "God bless me, I hope they don't come back again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps, which scared Jiang Yuner and closed his eyes. As I walked past the door of the room, it seemed like someone was talking in the yard, and then a voice said loudly:
"You guys, follow me!" Then there was a burst of chaotic footsteps accompanied by the collision of weapons, and then left through the door.
"Have everyone left?" Jiang Yun'er asked. Suddenly she heard someone speaking in the yard, and she was so scared that she covered her mouth.
The people outside were chattering and talking, but the two people in the room couldn't hear clearly. It seemed like two men were arguing.
