Things developed as Sun Tu expected. Cai Jiu was not familiar with military matters, and Yuan Wang and Lin Henian were veterans in this field. After a few words, he was unable to resist. However, other officials did not dare to risk offending Yuan Tuiguan by speaking out for Sun Tu. In the end, they took the initiative completely in their hands and decided that Lin Henian would take the lead, while Sun Tu would lead the soldiers to listen to him. Take orders.
Such a result was naturally not what Cai Jiu wanted to see, which made his face look even uglier than before. He even complained in his heart that Sun Tu didn't dare to stand up, otherwise he would still have room for maneuver. But Sun Tu also had his own concerns. Now he knew very little about the water bandit named "Ferocious Jiao", so he didn't dare to shoulder such a heavy responsibility all at once, so he had to take a step back first.
However, his concession paid off in the end. At least when he asked Lin Henian for more advice on the water bandits, the boss nodded happily and agreed: "In that case, you can follow me. Go to the Xiangjun barracks and explain it slowly."
The treatment of this Xiang army was much better than that of local soldiers, just like the difference between militia and regular army in later generations. Their military camp is not located in a corner outside the city like the country soldiers, but is located near the city wall in the south city. A large area has been opened up for them to practice and live. There are two archery towers erected inside the camp gate to allow the people to relax. Don't dare to approach easily.
And when Sun Tu followed Lin Henian and the others into the military camp, they found that the barracks inside were all newly renovated, and hundreds of soldiers were practicing martial arts in uniform uniforms. They looked much more neat and orderly than those rural soldiers with messy uniforms. . Of course, all this is only reflected on the surface, and it is hard to say what the combat power of the Xiang army is.
After following Lin Henian into his command post, what caught his eye was the fine rosewood furniture. The four treasures of the study were placed on the handsome desk instead of weapons. It looked more like a study than a military camp. The only thing that can reflect the identity of the owner of this place is a sheathed sword hanging diagonally on one side of the wall. It is not known whether it is Lin Dujian's own weapon.
After a soldier brought them chilled sour plum soup to quench their thirst, Sun Tu and Lin Henian were the only two people left in the room. The latter took out a slightly old sheepskin scroll from the cabinet on the side. When I opened it, I realized that this was a topographical map of the Jiangzhou area with simple and even crude drawing techniques.
When looking at this hand-drawn map, which looked like graffiti from later generations, Sun Tu frowned unconsciously. But as Lin Dujian pointed at a black line representing the Xunyang River and spoke, he no longer thought about anything else:
"Actually, this water bandit has never raised any banner. It is only because the leader has a nickname called Fanjiang Jiao, and they act fiercely, leaving almost no one alive after looting on the river, so we call it a fierce Jiao. Since their sudden appearance at the turn of spring and summer last year, they have been committing murders and plundering in the rivers in Jiangzhou, especially the fifty-mile boundary from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the Xunyang River. This is their haunt. Many merchant ships have been They attacked merchants and boatmen, and there were many casualties."
Sun Tu watched the other party gesturing on the Xunyang River with his fingers, but it almost included all the waters within the jurisdiction of Jiangzhou City. This made him even more shocked: "These
The thieves are really unscrupulous. As far as the official knows, don't the general thieves adhere to the principle that rabbits don't eat grass near their nests, and won't attack local people and merchants? "
"This is what makes them so ferocious. These thieves have no worries about this. As long as they are hit by them, they will rob them all, whether it is a big ship or a small boat, local or foreign. Because of this, our Jiangzhou City Most of the waterways have been cut off in a year, and merchants can only transport goods by land, but their expenses have increased by no less than 50%."
"I heard that the government had launched several campaigns before, but they all ended in failure..." Sun Tu hesitated for a moment and then told the most important point.
Lin Henian's face looked a little ugly, but he still sighed and said: "At the beginning, I didn't take these water bandits too seriously, so I only sent a small number of troops to suppress the bandits. In the end, they were either No trace of the enemy could be found, or they were attacked by people on the river, causing considerable damage. However, after that, the water bandits calmed down a bit. It was not until the spring of this year that they suddenly reappeared, acting more and more without any scruples, so I decided Lead an army to suppress bandits.
"Originally, I led more than a thousand troops and divided them into more than 20 large and small warships. I could definitely attack them in one fell swoop. But in the end, they retreated into the gap where the army spread out due to the unfavorable terrain. Our officers and soldiers It will be difficult to attack for a long time." As he spoke, Lin Henian pointed his finger at a depression in the upper reaches of Jiangzhou in Xunyang River, his expression full of resentment: "Actually, that's all. With the power of the army, we only need to trap them. , it would take more time to catch them all. However, Governor Cai suddenly issued a strict order for us to defeat the thieves as soon as possible. Affected by this, I could only order the three armies to attack day and night, and we must wipe out this banditry at all costs. Annihilate. But in the end, this gave the thieves an opportunity."
"What kind of opportunity is it?" Sun Tu's heart tightened when he heard it, and he asked immediately.
"There are many water bandits who have outstanding water skills. They actually took advantage of the opportunity when my army was attracted by my colleagues in the bay, fished it out from the water, and then launched a surprise attack from behind me. Moreover, these thieves were prepared in advance, and they actually used He set fire to an empty ship and set fire to several large ships behind me, which caused great confusion among our troops. Only then were they counterattacked and defeated by the bandits in a panic!" Lin Henian stared at the terrain map in front of him with his eyes. It was as if I could once again see the scene of the disastrous defeat from this simple map.
Sun Tu also felt sad. Only then did he understand why the officers and soldiers, who were obviously much stronger, suffered such a defeat, which led to the final relinquishment of control of the entire Xunyang River. With the fighting spirit of the Xiang army, after suffering this defeat, I am afraid that it will be impossible for them to dare to fight again in a short time. At the same time, this also made him understand why Cai Jiu was rendered speechless by them in just a few words today. It turned out that it was his previous mistakes in decision-making that led to today's bitter consequences.
Perhaps it was precisely because his guilt was so great and his identity was so special that the court did not pursue any investigation into the matter, and the situation in Jiangzhou has been delayed to this day but still cannot be resolved.
After taking a few heavy breaths and pouring a large bowl of sour plum soup into his mouth, Lin Henian breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Sun Tu and said: "Sun Tuanlian, it is precisely because of this defeat that I miss him even more." I hope you can cooperate with me this time
Completely wipe out this water bandit, so that our Jiangzhou City can have peace. "
Sensing the sincerity and enthusiasm in his eyes, Sun Tu immediately nodded heavily: "Of course, I should obey Lin Dujian's orders and help you put down this group of water bandits. However, I still have someone. The question is, after the previous battle, can the Xiang army still have a way to defeat the enemy?"
"Of course, you don't know what arrangements I have made to wash away the shame. In fact, the movements of those thieves are always under my control. I already know that they are hiding on a small sandbank island in the river. As long as If you find the right opportunity and launch a surprise attack, you will definitely catch them all!" Lin Henian said with a hint of excitement on his face, pointing to a certain place on the map.
Sun Tu was stunned for a moment, then he understood: "Has the governor planted spies among the thieves?"
Lin Henian smiled and nodded: "Now Sun Tuanlian should believe that cooperating with me will quell the chaos, right?"
Sun Tu nodded in agreement, and then discussed and analyzed with him based on the information he received. It was not until the sun set that he said goodbye and left the military camp.
By the time Sun Tu returned home, it was completely dark. Lu Da and Yang Zhi, who were helping train the rural soldiers in the camp, had already returned home. When the two of them learned about what happened during the day from Sun Tu, Yang Zhi immediately became excited: "We have been training for many days, and finally we have a place to use them."
"It's just a pity. This time the Xiang army will be the main force in suppressing the bandits. The most we can do is beat the drums from the side. I'm afraid it will be difficult to get any big credit." Sun Tu said helplessly.
This time, Ruda, who was more belligerent by nature, seemed a little hesitant: "The Sa family is not good at water fighting. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you much this time, Sanlang." As a soldier from the northwest, he was indeed not good at water fighting. When he arrived on the river The only thing left is self-preservation.
Hearing this, Sun Tu's heart suddenly moved. When it comes to water skills, aren't there just a few masters in Jiangzhou City? And judging by time, they have not yet returned to Liangshan. If I can recruit them into the army, my chances of winning this battle will be much greater.
Just when I was thinking about whether I should go inquire about the whereabouts of those people tomorrow, there was a knock on the courtyard door. Sun Tu immediately went to open the door to meet the guests, only to find that standing in front of the door was an extremely strange man. He had a fair complexion, a medium build, and a neat beard on his chin. Although he had a heroic spirit about him, his whole person was still Very kind and polite.
"Who is your Excellency?" Sun Tu looked up and down at the man in ordinary short clothes in front of him, guessing his identity.
But this one simply handed over his hand and said, "Are you a relative and friend of Sun Tuanlian? Xiao Ke's surname is Zhang Mingshun, and he is a fishmonger in Jiangzhou City. I have something important to tell you today."
Zhang Shun? Idiots in the waves? For a moment, Sun Tu already thought of the other party's identity and couldn't help being surprised. I was just thinking about whether I could recruit these water fighting masters into the army, but my wish came true. This master, known as Langli Baitiao, whose water fighting skills were ranked among the best in Liangshan, came to my door.
After hesitating for a moment, Sun Tu quickly got out of the way: "Brother Zhang, please go ahead and speak. I am Sun Tu."