In the evening, I passed by the inn.
Since no one had any rest today, and the little princess suffered from heat stroke, Song Che did not let the caravan continue its journey, but rested at the inn for the night.
At the fourth watch of the next day, we set off as scheduled and resumed our usual business routine.
After some inquiring, Song Che also found out the identity of the young woman——
The royal family name of Daliang is Zhao, and the current emperor's name is Zhao Chong. It can be seen from the fact that he drafted girls in Jiangnan when he was half a century old, this emperor had a romantic life and had countless children;
The three most famous sons among them are the eldest prince Zhao Sui, the third prince Zhao Xin, and the eighth prince Zhao Heng.
Needless to say, Zhao Sui, the eldest son who was the earliest to be born from his mother's womb and inherited the orthodox throne, among the other princes, only Prince Anyang Zhao Xin and Prince Rui Zhao Heng were awarded royal titles.
The young woman accompanying her was the concubine of Anyang King Zhao Xin, named Han Xiang, and her daughter Zhao Tan was titled the Princess of Pearl. Han Xiang's father was Dong Han, the strategic envoy of Shouchun Mansion... In short, there was a room full of princes, generals and ministers, all of whom were well matched.
The female swordsman in white is called Lin Yue. No one dares to find out her origin.
Luoyang is the imperial capital. It is bright and beautiful on the surface, but there are undercurrents surging behind the scenes. The court and the world are inextricably linked.
Just like the Gao Chen we met earlier, on the surface he was a powerful Privy Councilor, but secretly he was cultivating killers like Ning Yehong.
The two concepts of black and white are just a thought. Senior officials are afraid that the splattered blood will stain their clothes, so some organizations are needed to do the dirty work for them.
Although I don't know who Lin Yue is, her responsibilities are probably similar to Ning Yehong's.
The court and the world, officials and knights, are all things that businessmen should get to know, but should stay away from. How to navigate between the two and be independent at the same time is the business path that Song Che is exploring.
The fourteenth day of business.
It is still seven hundred miles away from Luoyang, fifty miles away from the boundary between Huainan and Jingxi Road, and thirty miles away from Panlong Mountain.
There are bandits at Panlong Mountain, with a crowd of six to seven hundred people, which is the biggest danger on the way.
The caravan is worth millions in annual currency, and there are princesses and princesses traveling with it. The greedy bandits will probably not let this deal go.
Entering the boundary of Panlong Mountain, the entire army was at full alert, staring closely at every plant and tree along the way.
Despite this, people are still worried.
Noon on the fourteenth day.
The caravan found a forest outside the mountain to escape the scorching heat as usual.
Unexpectedly, after entering the woods, I discovered that there was still a group of fleeing people nesting inside. There were three to four hundred people with their families. Although they were not as desolate as the refugees along the coast, they were still disgraced and full of troubles.
After some questioning, I learned that they were all villagers near Panlong Mountain.
"Those bandits are simply evil spirits from hell. Every time they ransacked a village, they killed all the men and took the least attractive women to the village. They didn't even spare the children. They were worse than animals..."
All the villagers are talking about gangsterism!
"Fellow military lords, are you going to suppress bandits? I look forward to the stars and the moon, and finally I hope you are here!"
"We are all farmers. We can suppress bandits by carrying a hoe, and we can also provide strength to the military men!"
"My uncle was killed by bandits in Hongshi Village! I want to go back and avenge him!"
All the villagers were hungry and thirsty!
But the more urgent they became, the more they made the sergeants blush. They were hot-blooded men and soldiers in military uniforms. They were supposed to serve their country and their country, but instead they just protected a royal relative from crossing the border.
"Fellow folks, the suppression of bandits needs to be considered in the long term. You may wish to move south. Mr. Han of Shouchun Mansion is caring and caring for the people. He will definitely find a way to settle you." Han Xiang stepped out of the carriage and assured the people loudly.
The princess actually felt the worst.
Then, Han Xiang asked the army to distribute some food to the villagers.
The villagers kowtowed three times at a time and walked out of the woods with their heads kowtowed.
"General Wang, do you have any strategies to suppress bandits and help these villagers?" Han Xiang looked at Wang Zhi, the only general in the army.
Wang Zhi's mouth was full of bitterness: "Madam, you think too highly of the general. It's not like you don't know that in the past six months, Enxiang has sent troops to suppress bandits three times, with thousands of officers and soldiers each time. The results can be imagined. Let's do this. There are about five hundred people, no cavalry, insufficient bows and crossbows, and the general is only a lieutenant. It is a luxury to be able to ensure your safe crossing this time..."
Han Xiang said angrily: "Why are you so incompetent!"
Wang Zhi could only smile bitterly. He must be thinking in his heart: Isn't the incompetence of the army a common problem of the Liang Dynasty...
"Then what should we do? Panlong Mountain is so close now, and the bandits are so rampant that they are killing villages. It's probably not safe for us to stay here. How can we get through that mountain?" Han Xiang was worried.
Wang Zhi straightened his chest and promised: "Madam, don't worry, although we can't suppress the bandits, there are more than 500 of us, so those bandits won't dare to attack!"
The female swordsman Lin Yue also said proudly: "Madam, don't worry, with this silver whip and sword on my saddle, a thousand bandits will come and a thousand will die!"
"Besides, Mr. Song is here." Xu Xiao added confidently.
"How long have you been, and you still have the heart to tell jokes?" Wang Zhi sneered and looked at Song Che with contempt.
"Hey, Xu Dutou, don't try to flatter me. I, Song Che, am just a businessman with no strength. How can I compare to General Wang and Nvxia Lin?" Song Che shook his head and smiled, then said to Wang Zhi. :
"General Wang, the bandits have taken control of Panlong Mountain. Most of the post stations ahead have been abandoned. We might as well rush on early today and rest in the village at the foot of the mountain. How about we recharge our batteries overnight before crossing Panlong Mountain?"
"That's what I meant."
…
The caravan rested for noon and then set off again.
At sunset, Panlong Mountain is right in front of you, only four or five miles away from the foothills.
"Stop marching."
Song Che stopped the caravan, and then said: "General Wang, Lin Nvxia, Xu Dutou, Liu Biaotou, Zhang Hu and Zhao Long, please come and talk to me before coming to the formation."
Wang Zhi on horseback said disdainfully: "When did the army get a peddler's turn to give orders?"
Song Che took out He Qiu's family letter from his sleeve, showed it to Wang Zhi and said, "This letter is written to Luoyang Prefecture Yin He Xuanzhang. Does General Wang know him?"
Wang Zhi frowned and was quite surprised, but he said: "What about the governor of Luoyang? I am a general under the command of Mr. Han, Prime Minister of Shouchun. No matter how big an official in Xijing is, he can't control me."
Song Che took back the envelope, smiled mysteriously, and said meaningfully: "I took out this letter not to control General Wang, but to tell you that I am not an ordinary trafficker, but a businessman with a background in the capital."
After that, he ignored it and led Xu Xiao and the others towards a small mound ahead.
Lin Yue rode past Wang Zhi on horseback, glanced at him, half-smiled, and said lightly: "General Wang, maybe he is really not an ordinary trafficker and a pawn."
Wang Zhi hesitated for a moment, sneered slightly, and then followed suit.
Song Che stood on the small slope and took advantage of the high ground to look at the plains with his telescope - the foot of Panlong Mountain was very flat and wide, and there were three villages. The middle one was the largest, with about a hundred households, and the houses looked like , the village road is tight, with woods on the left, bamboo forests on the right, and fields behind. The outside of the village is wrapped in weeds. In summer, the branches are lush and leafy, often half as tall as a person.
"Well, that's it." Song Che put away the telescope, pointed at the village in the middle and said, "We will set a trap here tonight. As many as come, we will die."
"This kid must be crazy." Wang Zhi laughed.
Xu Xiao squinted and said, "When I first started working with Mr. Song, I thought he was a lunatic just like you. But after we got along for a long time, I realized that I was the stupid one."
Wang Zhi stopped laughing and glared: "Little catcher! Are you calling me stupid?"
Xu Xiao hummed, "A benevolent person sees kindness, a wise person sees wisdom, and a stupid person... is stupid."
"It seems that you are very famous in the local area. I am very interested in where your confidence in talking big comes from." Lin Yue looked at Song Che, with more trust than doubt in his eyes.
Song Che knelt down, picked up a wooden stick, and sketched the village into a sand table. He first asked Wang Zhi: "General Wang, if the bandits attack tonight, how should you defend yourself?"
"This is not simple yet," Wang Zhi said: "Divide the five hundred soldiers into four teams, surround the village, and work together to defend it."
Song Che shook his head, "This is completely useless, let me analyze it -
First of all, the village is not a city wall, but only a fence. It is only a few feet tall, so anyone with a few nimble legs can jump in;
Faced with such a defenseless village, the bandits probably didn't bother to separate their forces and attack, so they must have marched straight in;
Furthermore, according to what the villagers said earlier, the bandits have strong soldiers and horses, and are well-equipped with equipment. Needless to say, with fifty vanguard cavalry with swords and axes, they can break through the defenses you have set up. "
Wang Zhi was dissatisfied and said: "If one side is in trouble, can't I help the other side?"
Song Che shook his head again: "Assuming that you can quickly mobilize support, let alone be able to defend against the impact, what if the enemy uses the strategy of 'sneaking to the east and attacking to the west'? How can a two-legged person outrun a four-legged horse? If not With support coming from the road, the defense is extremely weak. Now that the bandits are sneaking around and attacking, the princess will have to become the wife of the stronghold."
"Presumptuous!" Lin Yue shouted.
Song Che said quickly: "Ah...joke, joke!"
Lin Yue snorted coldly: "If you have a plan, why don't you tell it outright? Why bother?"
"This strategy is called 'asking you to enter the urn'."
Song Che first pointed to the left side of the village: "This is a forest. The princess, the princess, and the coins are stored here. Lady Lin and I led two hundred soldiers to ambush in the forest;"
He then pointed to the right side and rear of the village: "These two places are bamboo forests and fertile fields respectively. General Wang and Xu Dutou each led a hundred and fifty soldiers to ambush;"
He then pointed to the entrance of the village in front: "The remaining dozens of people were all guarding the entrance of the village, lighting torches and creating momentum to make the bandits mistakenly think that we were settling in the village;"
He finally concluded: "The bandits gathered six to seven hundred people, and we also had more than five hundred people. They would not dare to attack rashly. If they had the idea to rob tonight, they would definitely do it in the dead of night when everyone is asleep;
If the bandits attack with cavalry, they will definitely take the road at the entrance of the village. I have carefully observed that the houses in this village are very close together, which also causes the village to be blocked. There are only four real exits: front, back, left and right;
Cottage houses are mostly covered with thatch. After being exposed to the sun for several days, they become extremely dry and flammable;
Assuming that the bandits really invaded, as soon as they rushed into the village, the sergeants lying in ambush on three sides quickly blocked the exit and set fire to the thatched huts with rockets;
Under the fire and smoke, the bandits will be in chaos even if they are not burned to death. At that time, they will definitely look for an exit in a hurry. We block the exit and intercept and kill them with our swords, so that they will never come back! "
