Dong Houyong and his two hundred men were assigned to garrison Nanguan. He looked up at the new city wall and was amazed.
The south gate of Yugan is on a higher ground. This platform extends straight south along the edge of Pipa Lake, like a small tongue outside the south gate.
When renovating Nanguan Wengcheng, Li Dan proposed a novel plan after seeing the terrain here. He used the terrain here to build three defensive walls and changed the original avenue leading directly outside the city into a zigzag shape.
This increases the chance of killing the attackers. All it takes is to flatten the cliff, fix the bamboo reinforcements with bamboo nails, and then apply cement.
From the outside, the cliff looks quite steep and smooth. With the half-human-high defensive walls and battlements, it looks very high from below.
The three walls arranged in a trapezoidal shape gave people a feeling of being difficult to conquer. Although there were only more than two hundred defenders, Dong Houyong felt that with this fortification, he could withstand the attacks of thousands or even more enemies.
Anyway, if it doesn't work, retreat into Guancheng. It will definitely be very difficult for the enemy to attack the city.
Li Dan was inspired by the zigzag ramp at the entrance of Lingyan Temple, and he moved it directly to Yugannan Pass. Although the road in and out of the city will be somewhat circuitous in the future, the safety of Nanguan is effectively guaranteed.
When Dong Houyong and his men saw cement for the first time, they were surprised and thought it was the work of an immortal.
Until now, he still hasn't figured out how this thing turns sand, lime and clay into stone. Anyway, as long as the lake bandits don't have a general's musket, they will definitely have nothing to do with such a cliff!
Just as he was stroking and patting the solid cliff with appreciation again, he suddenly saw two carriages coming up the official road in the distance.
The driver on the car and the Xiang Yong escorting him on both sides wore uniform blue cloth uniforms and wrapped their heads in green cloth. The driver was sitting on the edge of the car, his feet swaying up and down with the bumps, and he was babbling and singing something unknown.
The officers and soldiers behind the fence stopped them aggressively. Dong Houyong was probably checking the number plates they carried with them.
Then I saw a small flag walking to the carriage, taking a look, quickly ran over, raised his head and shouted: "Sir, those group of people were sent by Sanhu Fort, and the person escorting the carriage was their deputy inspector. In Baima The carriage I borrowed from the ferry has the right number!"
"What are you transporting?" Dong Houyong asked.
The little flag smiled strangely: "The car in the front contains some seizures, and there are a few people who have been brought for inspection. The car in the back is full of sacks, filled with human heads!"
"Heads?" Dong Houyong thought about it: "Oh, I think about it, they set up an ambush. Okay, let them in!"
He Wei now showed his face, and the entire staff came to congratulate him for having an extra bar on his shoulder. He had already stepped into the rank of sentry commander with one leg.
He captured Lu Jiu in Sanhu Fort, but Chief Ma used Hu cakes and steamed buns to instigate Lu Jiu to rebel, which directly caused Mao Taigong to lose almost 30% of his team. He Wei made great contributions because of this!
District captain Sun Liang was transferred back to serve as the deputy defense envoy of the East City Wall, and He Wei took over his duties. Now the word "deputy" can be removed!
In front of Li Dan, he first introduced Lu Jiu and A Bing. Facing this official who was said to be older than Captain Ma for the first time made Lu Jiu feel uneasy. A kind gentleman.
Lu Jiu told him how he deceived Taigong Mao, and the more he spoke, the smoother he became. Li Dan was very happy to see that he was no longer restrained, and told He Wei that this person was neither inferior nor arrogant, and was a young man who could be guided.
Then he said to Lu Jiu: "I heard that you have a big belly and can eat a lot of food. You should stay with me. After all, Sanhu Castle is too small and doesn't have that much food!"
"As long as the little one is fed...what do you want the little one to do?" Lu Jiu was still thinking about Master Ma's promise to him. He was afraid that he would not recognize it if he changed places, so he quickly wanted to confirm it first. condition.
"You will be my servant, okay?"
Lu Jiu was startled: "I... serve as a servant for the Lord...?" Being a servant is not just casual, it not only represents trust, but also recognition of personal morality, martial arts, etc.
Because he was in contact with the general every day, Lu Jiu never expected that the servants would have a higher status and better treatment than ordinary sergeants. Even He Wei was surprised.
Li Dan waved his hand towards He Wei and said, "I think he is an honest man. From the beginning to the end, he just wants to fill his belly, right?
There is nothing wrong with people taking food as their first priority. What is wrong are those masters and generals who do not treat people with a straight face and do not treat people sincerely. They are the ones who forced people like Lu Jiu into the lake. What is his fault? "
"Gudong" Lu Jiu knelt down, kowtowed three times on the ground with "bang bang bang", and said loudly:
"Although I don't know much about literacy, I still know the saying, 'A soldier will die for his bosom friend! If you forgive me like this, I will try my best to repay you with death!" A Bing saw the panic and knelt down, kowtowed and said:
"Brother Ninth is like a villain's elder brother. Ninth Brother's words are his elder brother's words. When he says this, the villain will follow suit, and he will live and die for the adults without hesitation!"
"Okay, okay, you two heroes, please get up!" Li Dan waited for them to sit down again and said soothingly:
"I am a person who values trust and deeds. Whatever you do will naturally lead to flowers and fruits. As long as you two do well, I will reward you without restraint.
Your current mission is to protect my aunt. Previously, this position was held by Uncle Ma Jiu, and later by Yang Baihu, but now they are all commanding troops and unable to escape, so I entrust this matter to you two.
You will eat and sleep at my house every day. Lu Jiu, you will be paid one tael and five cents of silver per month, and Ah Bing will be paid one tael and each of you will have two days of rest every month. How about that? "
The two of them were overjoyed and immediately wanted to worship again. Li Dan asked them to bow or salute him when they saw him in the future, but not to kneel down. Then he told Lu Jiu that when the war was over, he could take his parents to live in Yugan.
He asked A Bing again and learned that he was an orphan, so he comforted him and told him to work hard and try to save some money to marry a housewife and so on.
After sending the two of them out, He Wei brought in Wang Xi, who was dressed in Tsing Yi. Seeing that he had lost his previous decadence and was much stronger, Li Dan was very satisfied and asked him what his plans were for the future.
Wang Xi replied that he hoped to return to serve in the army. Li Dan pondered for a moment and asked him: "If I send you to Linchuan or Dongxiang, would you be willing?" 「
Wang Xi had been here for a while, and he had also led soldiers before. He knew the elegant meaning of the strings, so he leaned over and asked, "What do you mean by inspection, but do you want me to go undercover in Yang He or Yang Xing's army?" "
"That's what I mean." Li Dan nodded: "We don't know anything about the situation in Fuzhou. Although the battle with Liaohuazi is imminent, we should have made plans for the Yang family and his son early."
"So, where do you think I should go first?" Li Dan stood up and walked to the map to think about it, then turned back and asked him: "Brother Yidou, if you decide, which of these two places should be taken into consideration first?"
Wang Xi stroked the beard on his cheeks, narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment: "If my subordinates choose, Dongxiang should be given priority."
"Why?"
"After the Battle of Yugan, I guess you will definitely take action against Anren. Yang Xing is the backer behind Anren, and Anren's defeat will definitely alarm him. So if I go to Dongxiang, I may be able to help you in the future.
Besides, Yang Xing and I met once. He was one year younger than me, so we were considered brothers. If I go to see him, I will be able to get Yang Xing's attention! "
"Oh, I never thought that Yidou met Yang Xing." Li Dan smiled: "I tell you there is another reason. Yang Xing was deprived of many generals and teams by his father, so he There’s a shortage of people here right now!”
The two looked at each other and smiled. Li Dan changed his serious face and said:
"Fuzhou is right next to Raozhou. If we want to do something big, how can we allow the Yang family and his son to have their necks stuck? You must have heard the saying, 'Don't allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch.'"
The Jiangshan Army's occupation of Fuzhou has cut off our source of most important ores. Without these ores, how can we produce and sell goods to various places?
Therefore, separatist forces like them must be eliminated! Otherwise, if you can't even support your own brothers, how can you talk about paying dividends to the elders of the county?
Therefore, you have a heavy responsibility. Li Dan hereby solemnly asks Brother Wang in the name of the people of Yugan! ” He said and gave a deep bow.
"There is no need to do this for inspections. Mr. Wang took the wrong path before. Your Excellency and all the brothers tried to pull me back regardless of past grudges. How could Mr. and Mrs. Wang be so ignorant?
Besides, I have spent time with everyone in the army day and night, and I have also heard and understood a lot of truths. Please rest assured, sir, I will risk my life to make this journey. "
Li Dan smiled and waved his hand, telling him that he didn't need to risk his life to do things. "Everything is based on safety." He said, "When brother goes, I will send people to assist and protect him, and there will also be people to contact him.
If there is any inconvenience at that time, you can go to the safe house to hide and be protected by a dedicated person and try to leave and return to Huangxi or Meigang. "After saying that, he clapped his hands twice.
A calm, narrow-faced man and a thin young man walked out of the back room.
Li Dan first pointed at the narrow-faced man and said, "Let me introduce you to Li Tiedao and Wang Yidou." After the two greeted each other, Li Dan introduced the thin man to Wang Xi:
"This is Feng Shen, the third person from the Intelligence Department. Your actions will be directly directed by the Intelligence Department." After Wang Xi and Feng Shen greeted each other, he continued:
"This operation is codenamed 'Bacon. Wang Yidou is the main force, with Iron Sword as the supplement.
Your two codenames are 'ore' and 'charcoal' respectively. Tie Dao's mission is to cooperate with Brother Yi Dou to arrange security, liaison and response points in the periphery.
The news and intelligence received by Tiedao were sent to Yu Gan through the special line of the Intelligence Department and handed over to me... "
Li Dan set the tone for the action:
Under the premise that there is no danger to life, he can hide as much as possible and transmit the situation, dynamics and decisions of Yang Xing and Yang He to the outside world. He can exert influence on the father and son without exposing himself.
In the absence of orders, do not take actions that would harm the opponent, and do not take the initiative to reduce the losses of our troops or government troops.
In short, the purpose of everything is to lurk, and everything else should get out of the way!
After agreeing on a time and place for further communication, Wang Xi and Li Tiedao left one after another. Li Dan looked at Feng Shen: "What do you think? Is he qualified?"
"Fortunately, he knows the internal situation of the rebels, and the Jiangshan Army does not know about him." Feng Shen replied softly: "At present, this is the best candidate. I hope he will not disappoint us!"
"These two people are a warrior and a martial artist. It's not easy for you to live among them!
However, no matter what, don’t be careless and do your best to protect yourself. If there is danger, evacuate immediately!
Tell them my exact words: Talents cannot be reborn, but things can continue with another person, so keeping people is the first priority! "
Li Dan said this very seriously: "If anything happens to either of them, I will talk to you!"
"Don't worry, sir, my subordinates will definitely do their job well."
"Take this with you." Li Dan handed him a thick envelope:
"It contains the letters of appointment and directions for them, as well as the instructions you submitted for the application fee and the purchase of land and houses, as well as the approval slip signed in the name of the Deputy Envoy of Fuzhou to send personnel to Fuzhou. .
I am satisfied with the people and property you want, but don’t forget the results I want. "
Feng Shen quickly clasped his fists and bowed deeply, saying: "I remember, my lord, but please wait for the good news. I believe that Wang Yidou will not disappoint you soon!" Li Dan nodded slightly.
The last person to enter the room was the wicker yellow. His original name was Huang Shu. His mother had a sudden abdominal pain and gave birth to him under a big willow tree, so he was nicknamed Liutiao'er. When he grew up, he became a nickname.
Li Dan sat on a chair and did not move as he knelt down and asked him, "I heard that you surrendered voluntarily. Why?"
"The common people don't know a few Chinese characters, but they understand why the word 'rebellion' is the most difficult to write." Willow Huang——Huang Shu answered with cupped hands:
"Although the common people fled to Dushan Luocao after injuring people, they did not engage in rebellion. In the past, they robbed homes and houses, or blocked roads to collect protection fees. The common people also did a lot of things, but that is another matter."
He raised his eyes and looked at Li Dan: "Your Excellency may already know that Cao Min's family is in the ancient port, and his parents and brothers are still alive, but he doesn't want them to be affected. That's why when Lu Jiu found me, Cao Min agreed to him."
Li Dan sighed
Tone: "My governor has investigated clearly.
Fortunately, you usually don't have many blood debts on your hands, and you are still kind and righteous to your subordinates. This time, you took the initiative to kill the people who were placed beside you by Mao Taigong, so I agree to leave a way for you and your brothers to survive. Atone for your sins and be a new person! "
Wicker Yellow quickly thanked you. Li Dan added: "If you can perform meritorious service in the future, I will ask the county magistrate to pardon your previous sins, so that you can go home and reunite, and share the joy of family life with your relatives!"
Li Dan told him that his surrendered subordinates would gradually evacuate Leijiawan in the near future and then replenish them everywhere.
"You are new here and are not familiar with the situation, so you won't be able to perform well in the city. I plan to ask you to go to Yangbu to reinforce Song Xiaoniu's department. He is confronting the Jiangshan Army in Anren, and the manpower is tight.
You report to the Baima Inspection Branch, wait there for reinforcements to gather, and then take them to Shenbu. As for the mission, let’s be Song Xiaoniu’s army Sima first. "
As Huang Shu was being sent out, Li Dan suddenly remembered something: "You said you are from the ancient port? I heard that there was a martial arts practitioner from the ancient port. Do you know about it?"
Huang Shu smiled: "Sir, are you talking about the eldest son of the Liang family, Liang Mingshan, whose courtesy name is Boliang?"
"Hey, you know so well?"
"It's more than clear." Huang Shu chuckled: "My family is his tenant, and we used to play together when we were young." He suddenly understood what Li Dan meant: "Do you want to invite him to come out?"
"Come out of the mountain?"
"Yes, he left his family property to his younger brother, lived in seclusion in Tujialing with his wife and children, and made a living by becoming an emperor and hunting. Don't you know that?"
"Oh!" Li Dan was slightly disappointed: "In this case, it will be difficult for him to help me?"
"Not necessarily." Huang Shu thought about it and said, "Caomin's second brother and the Liang family's second son are classmates in the academy. They went to school together and returned home together. They have a very close friendship.
It is better for the common people to write a letter and send someone to take it to ask the second brother to help. There may be a chance for this matter. "
Li Dan quickly handed over his hand: "Then please trouble Brother Huang to write this letter before leaving. I will send a special envoy to invite him!" Huang Shu didn't know much about literacy, so Li Dan asked Han An to help him complete the letter and asked Zhang Nao handles this matter.
It turned out that when he came back from Zhang Bo, Zhang Bo couldn't sit still when he saw his younger brother getting rich. He asked Li Dan several times to ask for a job.
This time I heard that I was going to invite a martial artist to come out. I immediately agreed and took two companions with me to drive out of the south gate the same day I got the letter.
