"We have been in Datong for a few days. Master Zhao, should you tell us where we are going?" Liu Heng said to Zhao Yutu who was sitting on the cart.
Li Shuheng on the side also said: "Master Zhao, Datong is a border town. If you leave the customs and defect to the Beibei, then don't blame us for taking people away now. I, Li Shuheng, am a Han Chinese and I will not leave good people alone. Beilu is a slave."
Mr. Zhao, who was sitting on the grain truck, hesitated for a moment and said, "Now that we are in Datong, I won't hide it from you. Shi Dashi wants to take you to Daliang Mountain, where there are many mountains and dense forests, and it is close to the east of Datong. This is a traffic artery. As long as we stay there, we might still have a chance to be recruited. By then, Shi Dashi will be appointed as General Manager Qian, and several of them will be at the level of General Manager at least. I will still call some of them when I see them in the future. A sir."
"Hey, I didn't expect that I would still be an official." Chen Xunping scratched his head.
Li Shuheng looked at Liu Heng with a questioning expression.
It was obvious that Li Shuheng was also moved by Zhao Yutu's words.
Only Liu Heng remained calm.
Because he knew that the Ming Dynasty would decline in the next few decades and wars and natural disasters would occur throughout the world. Regardless of whether Zhao Yutu's words were true or false, staying at the border as a small general was not a good choice.
"There will be many bandits in the deep forests and mountains. Master Zhao doesn't know this, right?" Liu Heng looked at Zhao Yutu.
"Of course I know." Master Zhao smiled and said, "Our camp has nearly two thousand people, only a few hundred refugees, and the rest are bandits. Are so many people still afraid of a few bandits from the mountains? Don't worry, Mr. Liu, all of this It's all as expected by Shi Dashi."
Liu Heng chuckled and said, "I think it's as expected, Master Zhao!"
He knows best what Shi Yunhu is like. Like him, he comes from a rural background and has never left Liaodong in his life. How can he know the situation in Datong? There must be someone around him who understands this. The entire camp is qualified to come up with this idea and is likely to understand Datong. The only person who is a scholar is Mr. Zhao.
Zhao Yutu showed a hint of pride and said: "Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. I only walked a few more steps than ordinary people."
After passing the examination, scholars will travel out to make friends with their classmates and famous local scholars to publicize their reputation and accumulate fame for the subsequent scientific examinations.
Although Zhao Yutu, who was born as a child, did not need to become famous, he was fortunate enough to travel with several scholars who were also successful in the scientific examination. Datong Mansion was one of the places he visited.
Liu Heng was too lazy to pay attention to Zhao Yutu's pride.
After the Tumubao Incident, the Ming Dynasty's use of literature to control military affairs became more and more serious. Scholars' own sense of superiority became stronger and stronger, and they kept saying that the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled the world together.
Zhao Yutu was born as a scholar. Although he was in a bandit camp, the sense of superiority of a scholar always existed.
"According to the speed we are traveling, we can reach Tianchengwei in just over a day, right?" Liu Heng almost called Tianchengwei's name in future generations.
Zhao Yutu said: "After Tianchengwei, bypassing Yanghewei is Datong East Road, and then we go straight to Daliang Mountain."
Liu Heng frowned when he heard about taking such a path.
The two guard posts of Tiancheng Guard and Zhenlu Guard are dozens of miles ahead. Yanghe Guard is where the Datong Military Preparation Road was established. Datong East Road is located on the side wall and is guarded by deputy generals or staff generals. This road Walking down there was absolutely terrifying.
"You can't go forward. Go back along the original route immediately." Liu Heng said, "Tell the people in front that the front team becomes the back team, and the back team becomes the front team."
"Liu Heng!" Zhao Yutu looked at Liu Heng coldly and said, "It's Dashi's order to go to Daliang Mountain. Are you going to disobey the order? Don't forget, even if you turn around and go back now, you are carrying so many things and you won't be able to use them. How long will it take for the people brought by Shi Dashi to catch up? You should know the consequences by then."
Chen Xunping, who was standing next to him, looked puzzled and said, "Yes, why do you want to go back when you have gone so well?"
Li Shuheng also said: "Did you see something?"
"Yang Yuan, go and tell the front team to stop." Liu Heng finished instructing Yang Yuan, then turned to Zhao Yutu and said, "Master Zhao has been to Datong and should know that Tiancheng Guard and Zhenlu Guard have been merged together. , stronger than the average guard."
He knew all this because when he was in college, his first girlfriend was from Tianzhen County, and she told him that the name Tianzhen County was composed of one word each for Tianchengwei and Zhenluwei.
Zhao Yutu nodded and said, "That's right."
Liu Heng added: "The Tiancheng Guard has a full strength of more than 10,000 people, and the Zhenlu Guard also has more than 10,000 people. Even if the two guards merge and lose half of their troops, there will still be 10,000 people. Counting empty pay, there will be a total of 5,000 or 6,000 people left. have it?"
Several people nodded in agreement.
It was normal for military attachés of the Ming Dynasty to receive empty pay, but in such a crucial border town, even if they received empty pay, half of the real amount had to be left behind.
Liu Heng continued: "Not talking about the difference in soldiers and armor, just counting the number of people, our battalions add up to a total of only 2,000 people. Facing five to six thousand officers and soldiers, do you think we can defeat them?"
Zhao Yutu's face turned pale slightly, but he still said forcefully: "The guards are mostly old farmers carrying hoes, so they may not take action against us, and we have always been fine along the way."
"Okay, let's not talk about Tiancheng Wei. Let's talk about Yanghe Wei." Liu Heng said, "The Datong Bingbei Road is at Yanghewei. Could it be that the officers of the Bingbei Road would watch a group of bandits swaggering across the border? Even if Yang He Wei will not send troops, but what about the generals on Datong East Road? A general will bring hundreds of personal soldiers, and then bring them to the main barracks. If the two thousand of us have no chance to escape into the Daliang Mountains, we will be wiped out. "
Zhao Yutu's face became paler and paler, and Li Shuheng's face on the side became more and more ugly.
"Report..."
At this moment, a fast horse galloped from the front.
Zhao Yutu turned over and jumped off the cart. When the horse came close, he hurriedly asked: "What happened in front?"
The knight on the horse reined in the reins and said breathlessly: "Daqi, Daqi's central military camp and front team were ambushed by the officers and soldiers sent by the Tiancheng Guard. They are currently besieged fifteen miles away. The cabinet asked me to send an order to Liu Heng and Li Shuheng to bring trained refugees and archers respectively to rescue the siege."
"What? Is there really an ambush set up by the army?" Zhao Yutu looked panicked and turned to look at Liu Heng.
Li Shuheng and Chen Xunping also looked at Liu Heng, waiting for him to make up his mind.
"Don't look at me. I won't lead people to rescue them. We don't have enough people to fill the gap between the officers and soldiers." Liu Heng said, "The rear team will follow the front team and go south to Guangling."
Chen Xunping asked in confusion: "Why not go back along the original route? Wouldn't that be safer?"
