Jinan Prefecture.
Zhang Shuye was riding on his horse, having been scorched by the scorching sun for a whole day, and his delicate face was slightly red.
Two days ago, he led 13,000 Xingde troops out of the city to quell the rebellion.
It is now located near Changqing County, about sixty miles away from Licheng County.
Since it is about luring a snake out of its hole and taking advantage of the situation, it must be acted more realistically.
Don't get too close, as it's easy for spies to spot you if you get too close.
It can't be too far away, otherwise help can't arrive in time.
Sixty miles is suitable, and you can return in half a day's march.
Da da da!
A burst of rapid horse hoofbeats came from behind the military formation.
Not long after, Xing Wanli rode up and said in an excited tone: "Prefect, Heishan Village has taken the bait. The spies sent news that at three o'clock today, the Blackshan bandits are out in full force."
"call!"
Zhang Shuye breathed a long sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his serious face: "The hard work of these two days was finally not in vain."
Xing Wanli suggested: "Prefect, after a day's march, the soldiers are already exhausted. It's better to camp on the spot and rest for the night. When you have enough energy, it won't be too late to return to the defense and ambush tomorrow. The Black Mountain is two miles away from Licheng County. The journey of more than a hundred miles, even if it is a rapid march, will take more than a day."
"inappropriate."
Zhang Shuye shook his head and muttered: "Heishan Village has accumulated a lot of war horses over the years. According to Lei Han, there are no less than 800 cavalry in the village. Although there are arrangements in the city, if the opponent sends cavalry to attack, there is still a certain risk. risk."
Licheng County is a bait, but this bait cannot be missed.
After hearing this, Xing Wanli thought for a moment and came up with an idea: "How about this? I will lead five hundred cavalry, plus two thousand elite soldiers, and travel lightly, and rush back to the ambush point outside the city at starry night. The prefect will camp here, Ruoheishan Village If you really send cavalry to make a surprise attack at night, your subordinates will be able to rush to your rescue in time.”
"good!"
Zhang Shuye nodded and looked at Xing Wanli with admiration.
If he is brave and resourceful, being a county lieutenant is really a derogation of his talents. It is not in vain for him to report to the court and transfer him to his side.
"I'm going to go now."
After Xing Wanli cupped his fists and saluted, he tightened the reins and turned the direction of the horse under his crotch.
Not long after, he led five hundred cavalry and two thousand infantry in paper armor back to the defense.
Paper armor is a type of armor used by the Northern Song Dynasty army.
Don't think that just because there are paper characters, paper armor is defenseless.
In fact, the defensive power of paper armor is no less than that of iron armor, and it is lighter than iron armor. A complete set of paper armor weighs only three kilograms, which does not affect the speed of the soldiers' rapid march at all.
The paper used to make the paper armor is made from the bark of the wolfberry tree plus cotton wool, which is continuously beaten.
It is extremely tough and waterproof, and will not rot when soaked in water as imagined.
After being soaked in water, it becomes tougher.
Therefore, paper armor is not afraid of heavy rain or falling into the water at all. The outer layer of two-finger-thick paper is sewn into a cowhide bag and is stacked in layers like scale armor. It is difficult to be damaged by bows and arrows, not to mention crossbow arrows.
It is especially suitable for use by naval forces and soldiers in seaside areas.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhen Dexiu, the magistrate of Quanzhou, reported to the Privy Council in order to wipe out the pirates at sea: "All the weapons in this village are somewhat adequate, but the navy needs paper armor. There are hundreds of pairs of iron armor in this village, and they should be preserved today." Half, and exchange fifty copies of my army for Yi Zhijia."
Exchanging fifty sets of iron armor for fifty sets of paper armor sounds a bit unbelievable. It is a loss-making transaction no matter how you calculate it.
This shows how practical paper armor is in coastal areas.
The only drawback of paper armor is that it is afraid of fire.
If it is hit by a rocket, a fire will soon ignite.
However, there is a way to deal with it. Before fighting, you can pour water on the paper armor, so that you will not be afraid of fire attacks.
…
…
As the sun sets, night slowly falls.
The people of Gaoyuan County were very fortunate that these rebels were reasonable. After entering the city, they did not burn, kill or loot, but only opened the county's granary.
In this regard, the people in the county are completely indifferent.
Just open it, it's not their food anyway.
Some brave residents, seeing the rebels ignoring them, even stood by the door with bowls in their hands to watch the fun.
In fact, Li Heihu really didn't have time to care about them. Time was tight. As long as these people didn't cause trouble, she didn't want to waste time on them.
Bags of grain are transported from the granary to the dock and loaded onto cargo ships.
After loading three thousand shi of grain and leaving a hundred people in the county, Li Heihu waved his hand, and soldiers and war horses boarded the boat one after another.
"Set off!"
With an order, dozens of cargo ships raised their sails and slowly sailed away from the dock, sailing upstream towards Licheng County.
Li Heihu was sitting cross-legged on the bow of a cargo ship, with his sword lying across his legs. The evening breeze blew slowly, blowing the messy hair on his temples.
Mr. Yin stepped up to her side and said with concern: "Master, it will take at least three hours to get to Licheng County. Let's go and rest first."
"The fire in my heart is too strong. I need some wind to blow in to calm the fire."
Li Heihu shook his head.
After hearing this, Mr. Yin stopped persuading.
After waiting for so many years, something finally happened, let alone Li Heihu, and he was filled with excitement.
The two of them stood and sat together, quietly enjoying the evening breeze.
I don’t know how long it took, but Li Heihu suddenly asked: “What is Han Er doing?”
She didn't know why she thought of Han Er, but the figure holding a horse spear suddenly appeared in her mind.
Mr. Yin was stunned for a moment and said with a wry smile: "Does the boss regard me as an immortal who can pinch and calculate?"
"Ah."
Li Heihu couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.
…
The stars are dim tonight and I can't see my fingers.
Fortunately, the people in charge of the boat are all veterans on the Ji River. They have long remembered where there are reefs and which sections of water are fast.
At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps behind him.
Li Heihu turned around and saw that the person coming was the boatman.
The boatman was holding a lantern, looking frightened, and said tremblingly: "This master, in front of you is Linhe Town, with a sluice, and patrol guards..."
Li Heihu waved his hand: "Drive your boat well, I will deal with it myself."
Hearing this, the boatman couldn't help but feel relieved.
The so-called sluice is just two iron cables across the river.
Although it looks simple, it can effectively stop ships.
Without Li Heihu's orders, several bandits sailed to the inspection office on the shore in small boats.
A basketful of copper coins and a letter with the seal of the magistrate of Gaoyuan County made the inspectors obediently open the gates.
The winch was stirred, and the iron rope across the river slowly sank into the water.
When dozens of cargo ships passed through the sluice, an inspection soldier asked curiously: "Dutou, there are so many cargo ships, what are they carrying?"
Nadu glanced at him and said contemptuously: "Is this the business in Kochi County that you can inquire about?"
"Hey, I just asked casually."
The soldier said, glancing at the copper coins in the basket.
Seeing this, everyone laughed and said: "Damn it, I know what shit you're going to do when you stick your butt out. Don't worry, there will be people waiting for you."
As he spoke, he bent down, grabbed two hundred copper coins and stuffed them into the soldier's arms.
"Thank you, Dutou."
The soldier immediately smiled and thanked him.
If you have money, who cares what you are transporting.
…
At midnight.
Dozens of cargo ships quietly sailed into the Licheng County pier.
The sound of hundreds of war horses and more than 3,000 people disembarking from the ship immediately attracted a group of night watchmen.
"Who are you waiting for?"
The night was too dark to see clearly.
When the official came closer with a lantern and saw the scene in front of him clearly through the dim light, he couldn't help but froze in place.
What caught his eye was a tall horse. Looking up from the horse, a cold and pretty face came into view.
The official had no intention of admiring it. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his hands and feet could not stop trembling.
Behind him are densely packed cavalry...
Woo!
A harsh sound of breaking wind sounded.
The long and narrow machete flashed past, and immediately after, a human head rose into the sky.
Snap!
The lantern fell to the ground, the horse's hoofs stepped heavily on the lantern, and the dim firelight immediately went out.
"kill!"
There was strong murderous intent in the cold tone.
The next moment, the war horses galloped.
The remaining officers had no time to scream and were torn to pieces in the cavalry charge.
The wharf was only two or three miles away from Licheng County. After traveling one mile, Li Heihu ordered: "Immediately hit the trap, and the man will win!"
Hearing this, the cavalry behind them took out their bridles and put them on their horses' mouths.
Then, he picked up another copper coin and put it in his mouth.
As a result, neither man nor horse will make a sound.
As long as you deliberately control your steps, you will never attract the attention of the city's guards.
Eight hundred cavalry, plus three thousand infantry, quietly arrived three hundred meters outside the city.
Looking at the city, Li Heihu made a gesture.
A bandit immediately sprang out from behind, like a wild cat, moving flexibly and lightly to touch the base of the wall.
The bandit's tongue wriggled and a whistle was held in his mouth.
"Cuckoo!"
The whistle was blown, making a sound like a night owl.
After waiting quietly for a moment, a similar sound came from the city.
"Kill!!!"
"No, there's a thief!"
"Meet the enemy, meet the enemy!"
Suddenly, a cry of murder rang out from behind the city gate, breaking the tranquility under the night sky.
Li Heihu drew his sword again and stared at the city gate with a pair of phoenix eyes.
Creak!
With a heart-wrenching sound, the two heavy city gates were slowly pushed open from the inside.
"The city gate is open, follow me into the city!"
Li Heihu shouted loudly and suddenly clamped his legs on the horse's belly.
The war horse beneath him immediately turned into a sharp arrow and galloped towards the city gate.
"kill!!!!"
Everyone shouted together, mounted their horses and rushed forward.
The power of the eight hundred cavalry galloping seemed to crush everything.
PS: There are people in history who are truly virtuous. Don’t look at the names, but they are really not made up by the author.
(End of chapter)
