Li Yi stayed in the Tian bandit village in Mangdang Mountain for almost a day and two nights. He did not return to Yongcheng Wharf until the early morning of the day when the Nationalist Army was scheduled to arrive. The news that the brothers are willing to join hands in business, and not long before that, Zhang Huaishen's cousin Zhang Di also returned to Yongcheng from Jishan, which is a little closer, also brought the good news that Zhang Qian was willing to join hands with the Yongcheng garrison. Naturally, after hastily changing into common people's clothes, Li Yi and Zhang Di were sent together into Yongcheng City, and directly sent to Xu Minlian, Dong You, Chen Yingliang and others who were looking forward to it.
The news that Li Yi and Zhang Di brought back were almost exactly the same. They both agreed to attack at three o'clock in the evening. At that time, the Yongcheng garrison would set fire to the pier, and the Tian brothers and Zhang Qian's team would come to meet them. Looting the official ship of the Taifu, after the matter is completed, it will be divided into three to seven, and the Yongcheng garrison will get three shares. As for other important information, such as the time when the Tian brothers and Zhang Qian sent troops, the route of the troops, the number of troops sent, and whether the Tian brothers and Zhang Qian have joined forces, Li Yi and Zhang Di don't know anything about it. Brother and Zhang Qian didn't reveal a word at all.
After hearing the reports from the two messengers, the prefect Xu Minlian and the palace supervisor Xie Weiping, who had no military knowledge at all, inevitably looked at each other in blank dismay. They couldn't tell whether the Tian brothers and Zhang Qian had fallen for it, and whether they would really bring their team to Yongcheng Wharf to die. On the contrary, Dong You, the magistrate of the county with a low official position, was forced to learn some experience in dealing with bandits and water thieves because of his long-term dealings with the canal water thieves. Otherwise, it is impossible for Li Dui and Zhang Dui to come back alive, and the black and white two thieves and Zhang Qian don't have such good hearts."
Xu Minlian and Xie Weiping turned their attention to Chen Yingliang again, to see the reaction of Chen Yingliang, who was well-known on the counter-insurgency battlefield. Chen Yingliang smiled, knowing that although Dong You's words were a bit arbitrary, he didn't consider whether the enemy might use his tricks, but he didn't say anything either. Come out to attack Dong You's self-esteem and self-confidence, just smiled and said: "Dong county magistrate is justified, just based on the fact that Li Dui and Zhang Dui are coming back, we can conclude that the two black and white thieves and Zhang Qian's rebel have already fallen into the trap." And I also believe that the black and white thieves and Zhang Qian have not had the courage to plan against us, and the mob in their hands is not the material to set traps in reverse."
Seeing that Chen Yingliang, a well-known superior, agreed with his opinion, Dong You really became more confident, and said: "Although the black and white thieves and Zhang Qian were caught in the trick, they didn't fully trust us, so they concealed the number of troops sent, The time and route, let the two captains Zhang and Li set fire first, the purpose is nothing more than to test the truth, and it is not too late to confirm the true position of the two captains Zhang and Li. You can run away immediately. Therefore, the lower officials believe that as long as we are willing to sacrifice some money and food, and really set a fire on the pier, we will definitely attract these two groups of thieves."
Xu Minlian and Xie Weiping nodded, feeling that Dong You's analysis was reasonable, Chen Yingliang also nodded, and then said: "Dong County Magistrate's analysis is indeed very reasonable, but one important detail was omitted. It is very important to start at three quarters. In winter, the days are short, and the sky is already completely dark at three quarters of the unitary hour. At that time, if the black and white thieves and Zhang Qian realize that the situation is wrong, they can also escape quickly under the cover of night, and it will be difficult for us to seriously injure For them, it is even more difficult to capture the thief, first to capture the king, and to take down the three big thieves, the Tian family brothers and Zhang Qian."
After being instructed by Chen Yingliang, Dong You, Xu Minlian and others discovered the treachery of the Tian brothers and Zhang Qian. After scolding, Dong You suggested: "Chen Zanzhi, how about we prepare more torches? When the time comes, let us Each of the soldiers and yamen servants should light a torch, so that it will be easier to hunt down the enemy."
"Lighting more torches won't help much." Chen Yingliang shook his head, "It won't take you far, but it will expose the target and make it easier for the thieves to escape. Don't worry, let me think about it."
Xu Minlian, Dong You and others all closed their mouths, letting Chen Yingliang, who was full of bad things, think about the plan, while Chen Yingliang half-closed his eyes and calculated carefully. After a long time, Chen Yingliang suddenly opened his eyes and asked Li Yi and Zhang Di: " Li Dui, Zhang Duizheng, have you agreed with the thieves on the contact method? For example, if there is a sudden change in the plan, how to communicate urgently?"
Zhang Di shook his head and said no, Li Yi replied: "Yes, Tian Baishe has explained to his subordinates, if the situation changes, let me go to Xiaoshiqiao three miles north of Yongcheng Wharf to find someone, there will be a The peddler who sells straw sandals, as long as you report my identity and tell the peddler the situation, the Tian family brothers will know."
"Three Caves of the Cunning Rabbit, you really are a little clever." Chen Yingliang smiled and said, "But it's just right, it happened to help me a lot."
After laughing, Chen Yingliang was not in a hurry to explain the details of the contingency, and after thinking for a while, Chen Yingliang asked Li Yi again: "Captain Li, there is another question. You said just now that the brothers of the Tian family once hosted a banquet for you in person. You have inquired about the situation in Yongcheng a lot, did they mention that a beautiful woman appeared at the Yongcheng pier the day before yesterday?"
"Chen Zanzhi, why are you asking this?" Li Yi was stunned for a moment before replying: "I mentioned it, and Tian Heishe mentioned it more than once. The rumors he heard told him that the beautiful woman was brought to Yongcheng by Mr. Liang of the Taifu. Later, Tian Heishe asked where the beautiful woman lived. After the Taifu fleet arrived in Yongcheng, would the beautiful woman I also went to meet him at the pier, and the villain replied that he didn’t know.”
"Chen Zanzhi, Zhang Qian also mentioned this beauty." Zhang Di, who was next to Ji Shan as an envoy, also hurriedly opened his mouth and reported: "Zhang Qian also asked about the identity and origin of that beauty. Knowing nothing, Zhang Qian was a little disappointed at the time."
"I didn't expect that pungent girl to have such a great charm that she can make all the big thieves pay attention to her." Chen Yingliang laughed heartlessly, slapped his thigh again, and said happily: "But this is the best, we are sure It's even bigger. Lieutenant Li, after the late afternoon, you go to the small stone bridge that was agreed, contact the eyeliner of the Tian family brother, and tell him that the agreed time of action must be advanced, so that the Tian family brother can do it in advance. Get ready."
"Let the brothers of the Tian family do it in advance?" Li Yi was a little surprised, and hurriedly said: "Chen Zanzhi, if the brothers of the Tian family don't agree, or if they get alerted and run away immediately, then our previous efforts will be wasted?"
"It's okay, I'll come up with an excuse and a reason for you." Chen Yingliang said casually: "Go tell the eyeliner of the brothers of the Tian family that you want them to do it in advance, because I, Mr. Liang from the Taifu, are too cunning and worried about the Taifu. It is not safe for the imperial belongings to be escorted to spend the night outside the city, so after the Taifu fleet arrives at the dock, all the goods must be moved into the county town first, and then moved back to the ship to be transported to Jiangdu tomorrow morning."
Feeling that Chen Yingliang's excuse was well-founded, Li Yi quickly nodded, and Chen Yingliang pointed out: "You can tell the eyeliner of the Tian family brothers that you don't know the time when the Taifu fleet arrived at Yongcheng Wharf, so you dare not Guaranteed that there will be a chance to do it today. If the Taifu fleet arrives at the canal pier just before Youshi, then forget it. It’s too early and everyone can’t do it. We can only give up. If the Taifu fleet arrives at the pier after Shenshi, then you Just try to delay the time as much as possible, set fire to it as soon as possible, and start to rob the treasure together."
Li Yi quickly nodded, but Chen Yingliang asked Li Yi to repeat it again, not satisfied until the crucial time to confirm that Li Yi was not wrong. Xu Minlian who was next to him was still a little worried, and asked again: "Chen Zanzhi, how about that?" What about Zhang Qian? We can't get in touch with him?"
"Don't worry." Chen Yingliang said with a sneer, "Mr. Xu, for such a big deal, do you think that the black and white thieves and Zhang Qian would not think of joining forces to share the risk? I bet that in this matter, the black and white thieves and Zhang Qian had already There is a secret contact, and if we release the news to the black and white thieves, it is equivalent to telling Zhang Qian the news."
After the extremely confident sneer, Chen Yingliang instructed Li Yi and Zhang Di again: "Deputy Li, Captain Zhang, tell your brothers when you go back, and cooperate with me to perform a play in the afternoon. I will take that beautiful woman to the pier in the afternoon." Go up to welcome the Taifu fleet. When the time comes, I want you to vacate the pier to make it easier for the Taifu fleet to dock. You are deliberately perfunctory and procrastinating, or you can deliberately quarrel with me to convince the thieves of your sincerity. .Besides, I will arrange ten soldiers under your command, and you will take them to do this..."
…
After everything was arranged, Chen Yingliang sent two messengers and took two small boats to the upstream to contact the Baoguo army, and asked the Baoguo army fleet to control the speed and arrive at Yongcheng Wharf around You, and then did nothing. According to the arrangement, we can drink tea in peace of mind and wait for the appointed time. However, Xu Minlian, Dong You and other local officials are restless, and they keep sending people to inquire about the news. If there is any sign of disturbance, they will turn into soldiers. They are afraid that they will not succeed in luring the snake out of the hole this time, and they will completely anger Ben. The indestructible Tian family brothers and the big thief Zhang Qian caused great disasters.
It cannot be blamed for Taishou Xu and County Magistrate Dong being too timid, but the current situation does not seem to be good. Within a radius of ten miles from Yongcheng Wharf, there has been no sign of a large group of rebels gathering so far. The two insiders of the team have not sent any news so far. These signs are undoubtedly not good news for Xu Minlian and others whose purpose is to lure snakes out of their holes.
Regarding these situations, Chen Yingliang continued to be as stable as Mount Tai, because Chen Yingliang knew very well that the Tian family brothers were able to gather a large group of troops to attack Caoliang successfully, but the Yongcheng officials knew nothing before the military. Zero's ability to march and ambush, and mastered some anti-reconnaissance skills, and at the same time, Chen Yingliang didn't believe that the local officials in Yongcheng, such as the neighborhood chiefs, village chiefs, and party chiefs-there was a good emperor like Sui Yang who loved to make troubles. Well, these small local officials don't say that they are tipping the news to report the thief's whereabouts. It would be nice if they can run with the thieves without taking the people under their rule. So even though no trace of the thief has been found so far, Chen Yingliang is still not surprised, and still firmly believes that his plan to lure the snake out of the cave will be successful.
Of course, on the surface, it was pretending to sit firmly on the Diaoyutai, and Chen Yingliang said in his heart that he was not worried, which was also a lie, because if he missed this opportunity, it would be extremely difficult for Chen Yingliang to capture the three major thieves first. But there is nothing to worry about. After the end of time, Chen Yingliang can only secretly pray for the blessing of the heavens, and lead Pei Cuiyun, Changsun Wuji, Ma Sanbao and others out of the city to meet the so-called Taifu treasure ship on the canal wharf Team, by the way, see with your own eyes whether your plan can succeed. According to Chen Yingliang's request, Xu Minlian, Dong You and others stayed in the city for the time being, and pretended to wait until they received the news before leaving the city to greet the Marquis, in order to confuse the eyeliners who might be sent by the enemy to watch.
By the way, in order to persuade Pei Cuiyun to accompany him to the pier to greet the Nationalist Army in women's clothing again, Chen Yingliang had to spend a lot of rhetoric before he succeeded. In the end, Pei Cuiyun still put on a relatively neutral hunting suit outside the Great Wall, and said something They refused to change again, Chen Yingliang was helpless, considering that Pei Cuiyun might have to take some risks this time, and seeing that the strong outfit outside the Great Wall made Pei Cuiyun's good-looking figure more youthful and attractive, he had no choice but to let her go.
When I led Pei Cuiyun to Deyongcheng Wharf, the wharf was still full of people, and there was no complete martial law. At the same time, there were only two wooden wharves, and there were four civilian ships that were unloading, and several civilian ships stopped sailing. In the river, wait for the cargo ship on the pier to finish unloading and then dock. Seeing this scene, Chen Yingliang, of course, lost his temper as a petty official in the capital. He first ran to the river donation stand and yelled at the tax collector, and then ran to Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen who were in charge of the security of the wharf like a clown. Jumping up and down, they asked Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen to drive away all the cargo ships immediately and vacate the pier so that the Taifu fleet could dock when they arrived.
They had been notified in advance, of course Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen did not buy into the account of Chen Yingliang, a petty official in the capital, and they had a public quarrel with Chen Yingliang on the pretext that the Taifu fleet had not arrived yet, but Chen Yingliang pretended to be arrogant and roaring, never wanting to offend the former and Pepper Pei Cuiyun, who didn't know, saw that Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen dared to speak against her sweetheart, and Pei Cuiyun pulled out a knife and almost chopped Li Cai off. Fortunately, Chen Yingliang pulled Xiao Pepper back in time, so there was no accident. There was a big commotion, and then Chen Yingliang pulled Pei Cuiyun aside, and hypocritically sent people into the city to file a complaint against Xu Minlian, and threatened to make Li Cai and others look good when the Taifu fleet came.
It was a good thing that the little pepper almost caused an accident. At least it attracted the attention of almost all the wharf, and it must have attracted the attention of the thieves on the wharf. This made Chen Yingliang secretly happy. Li Yi, who was contacted by the team, also returned to the pier quietly, and told Chen Yingliang that the matter had been completed with a wink. Chen Yingliang was even more determined, so he patiently waited beside the river donation platform beside the pier.
Coincidentally, two big merchants in Yongcheng arrived. There were a lot of trackers on the wharf, and the goods were constantly being transported. It seemed very lively and busy. . In such an environment, and with ulterior motives in mind, Chen Yingliang was of course feeling anxious and anxious, but on the surface he had to pretend nothing had happened, and had to urge Li Cai, Zhang Huaishen and others to vacate the pier from time to time, under psychological pressure. It is extremely huge, but there is not even one person to confide in, so I can only secretly pray that everything will go well.
Time passed slowly by one minute and one second, and finally, Youshi was finally approaching, the city gate was about to close, the flow of people on the pier dwindled, Xu Minlian and Xie Weiping finally led a large group of officials and servants to the pier, pretending to be harvested. It looks like the news that the Taifu fleet is about to arrive. Chen Yingliang hurried forward, continued to pretend to point at the four cargo ships that were still docked on the pier and complained, asking Xu Minlian and others to order to vacate the pier as soon as possible. The gang of thieves hasn’t shown up yet? Has the news leaked out?”
"Don't worry, there will be some movement." Chen Yingliang comforted in a low voice, and then ordered in a low voice: "Mr. Xu, you will first ask the government officials to protect the safety of you and Xie Gongjian. When the overall situation is settled, put out the fire immediately. Today the pier There are a lot of goods on hand, don’t really burn them all, then the common people will suffer a great loss.” Xu Minlian agreed in a low voice, but his heart continued to fluctuate, still feeling that there was little hope.
After a while, when the sky gradually turned dark, four tall and heavy official ships finally appeared on the upper reaches of the Tongji Canal. Chen Yingliang cheered exaggeratedly, saying that the Taifu fleet had finally arrived, and then told Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen and others roared loudly, asking them to drive away the dilapidated civilian ships on the dock that had not been unloaded so far, and let Taifu's ships dock first to unload their cargo.
Under Xu Minlian's personal order, Li Cai and Zhang Huaishen's team finally started to move. While urging the civilian boats to leave as soon as possible, they prepared torches, braziers and other lighting items. Then Xu Minlian asked Chen Yingliang whether to proceed according to the original plan. Chen Yingliang observed After checking the situation around the canal, seeing the surrounding area of the canal in the twilight is still quiet and motionless, I was a little worried and hesitant for a while, but I still nodded and said in a low voice: "According to the original plan, after the four official ships come ashore, , let’s start the fire immediately!”
Xu Minlian gritted his teeth and sent someone to deliver the order, and Chen Yingliang's heart was in his throat—because if this plan fails, not only will all previous efforts be wasted, but it will also cause damage to the pier, and it will also cause great damage to Chen Yingliang's prominent reputation and reputation. . But when things got to this point, Chen Yingliang had nowhere to go.
The latitude of Yongcheng is quite high, and it is getting dark faster in the early winter. In a blink of an eye, it is already difficult to see the situation inside and outside. Under the increasingly dark twilight, four official ships with a deep draft slowly sailed to the side of the pier. Under Chen Yingliang's persecution and Xu Minlian's order, the four civilian ships that had not yet unloaded their cargo reluctantly sailed away from the pier temporarily to give way to the Taifu official ships, and then the four official ships relied on the manpower of the trackers. Pulling, one by one to the pier, two left and two right berthed at the two wooden pier. Seeing this scene, Chen Yingliang winked at Xu Minlian, and hurriedly led Pei Cuiyun, Ma Sanbao and others to meet him, and greeted Qian Xiangmin who was standing at the bow with a smile on his face from a distance away.
"Brothers! Do it!"
When Chen Yingliang had just stepped onto the pier, Li Cai on the river bank suddenly yelled, and threw the lit torches in his hand onto a pile of goods beside him, and then countless soldiers of the Sui army also threw their torches onto the pile of goods. The pile also suddenly ignited a skyrocketing fire. Immediately afterwards, there were shouts and shouts on the pier. At the same time, Zhang Huaishen's team followed the same pattern, lighting another pile of pier cargo with torches, and at the same time loudly shouted the slogan of snatching the official ship, and began to expel the crowd of people on the pier.
The wharf, which still had a lot of people, suddenly became chaotic. The Sui army officers and soldiers who had been ordered shouted slogans to seize the official ship, and the trackers ran around running for their lives. Shouting and asking what happened, the officials rushed to protect Xu Minlian and Xie Weiping. Li Cai, who had received a special order, also rushed to Chen Yingliang with ten soldiers of the Nationalist Army disguised as ordinary officers and soldiers, creating a chaotic appearance. .
At this moment, Chen Yingliang's heart almost stopped beating, and he closed his eyes nervously. There was only one thought left in his mind, "God bless you."
"Kill!"
A tidal wave of shouts like the sounds of nature suddenly sounded, and at the same time, there was a mess of horns, war drums and gongs. Chen Yingliang quickly opened his eyes, and was very pleasantly surprised to see that the east and downstream direction of Yongcheng Wharf, In addition, in the northwest direction of the upper reaches of Yongcheng Wharf, countless lights of torches appeared together, and the sound of screaming and killing that Chen Yingliang could only dream of came from. In addition, in the upstream and downstream directions of the canal, dozens of large and small civilian boats with torches also appeared at the same time.
"The distance is about three miles. It seems that I have to practice scouting in the future."
With a smile on his mind, Chen Yingliang made up his mind to abuse his future subordinates. He turned to Pei Cuiyun, grabbed Pei Cuiyun's little hand who was already nervously pulling out his knife, and said with an incomparably charming smile, "Cuiyun, I My virtuous sister, can I ask you for a small matter? Brother, I beg you this time for the last time. If you agree, I will definitely repay you."