The flags are fluttering, and the mountains and rivers are magnificent. Soldiers go to war and return victorious!
Under the expectant and respectful gaze of tens of thousands of Qingzhou people, amid the cheers of thousands of people, and under the complicated eyes of dozens of officials in Qingzhou government, Sun Tu finally led a thousand soldiers from the north in a mighty manner. Set off from the gate and head north along the official road.
The people of Qingzhou have been suffering from bandits in the territory for a long time. Now Sun Dujian is finally going to lead his army to wipe out one of the bandit strongholds. This is naturally a great good thing for the people. Everyone hopes that they can return in triumph as soon as possible. As for the government officials, their thoughts are more complicated. Although they hope to achieve peace within the government, they are also worried that the Xiang army will gain momentum after their victory, and their lives will be even more difficult by then.
However, when this was related to the safety of the entire Qingzhou area, the officials could only put aside their past prejudices and all came to see him off. Even Murong Yanchao, who had not been seen for a long time, dressed up and said a lot of words to boost the morale of the soldiers in public today, and also toasted Sun Tu with a cup of Zhuangxing wine. This can make people who don't know what happened before think that Qingzhou's civil and military forces are united.
But when the army left and Murong Yanchao led his troops back to the government office, his expression turned gloomy again. When one of his subordinates suggested to him whether he should take advantage of Sun Tu's expedition and the lack of military strength in the city to suddenly attack and regain all the power, he even straightened his face and drove the people away from him with repeated reprimands.
"What an idiot! If I really dare to take action behind my back at this time, I'm afraid the people in the city won't obey me. And once Sun Tu returns victorious, he can kill me with just this one thing!" Murong Yanchao thought in his heart He said something bitterly. In fact, one thing he didn't want to admit was that he had no confidence that he could really seize control from the Xiang army in the seemingly empty Qingzhou City.
Because Sun Tu did not take away all the 1,000 veterans who had been trained for two or three months this time, and left 200 elites behind just in case of any eventuality. Moreover, since he was frightened in the military camp and peed his pants in public, Magistrate Murong had already developed a fear of the military camp, at least this time he did not dare to take action at will.
However, he was indeed worried that if Sun Tu really attacked and conquered the bandit's stronghold continuously and became famous with his military exploits, then his situation would be even more difficult. By then, he would really become a decoration, and even his life and death would be completely in the hands of others. . The situation is really getting worse...
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Sun Tu, who was leading his army forward, didn't care what the people in the government office would think. At this time, he was only thinking about how to defeat the bandits in Baihu Mountain at the minimum cost, while also playing a role. The effect of training through battle allowed this Qingzhou Xiang army, which had never experienced war, to grow rapidly.
This made him recall the detailed report about Baihu Mountain made by Shi Qian before while riding his horse: "Baihu Mountain is not very high, but it is easier to defend because it is close to the river in the rear. . And the reputations of the leaders of the White Tiger Village on the mountain are not too prominent. Although the two brothers Kong Ming and Kong Liang have been taught by experts and have good martial arts skills, they are only brave men. When leading troops in battle, they can only lead the charge. In addition, , there is also a den of thieves, Baihu Village, at the foot of Baihu Mountain. The villagers and others there who look like common people are actually brothers of the Kong family, so if it really comes
Just be careful around here..."
Speaking of which, Shi Qian is indeed a good expert in investigating information. He was able to clearly investigate the situation inside and outside Baihu Mountain in a short period of time. Not only did he have a clear understanding of the surrounding terrain, he even had a clear understanding of the bandit. The leader was well aware of his martial arts habits, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort during his time away from home.
"Qi De wins, Yang Zhi!" Sun Tu already had a plan in mind, so he suddenly called their names. The two people who were actually responsible for commanding the march on this trip were Qi Yang, because they were more familiar with military matters than Lu Da and Lin Chong. As for Tang Feng and Huang Wenbing, he stayed at the Qingzhou military camp. After all, there were many people in the city. Someone has to look after me.
Upon hearing the call, the two people who were running beside the team and constantly controlling their speed rushed over: "What are the orders from the Governor?"
"According to our speed, how many days will it take us to reach the foot of Baihu Mountain?" Sun Tu asked, looking at the team that was not marching very fast. There is no way around this. Except for the border troops in the Song Dynasty, there is a general shortage of horses, and the situation of the Qingzhou Xiang Army is even more unbearable. Those army horses have long since disappeared, and now they only have dozens of horses brought by Sun Tu and others. , a thousand people can't get anywhere fast just by walking.
Qi Desheng thought for a while and then said: "Because we need to guard against sneak attacks and maintain the physical strength of the soldiers, we can only travel thirty miles a day. In addition, once we leave the official road, the speed will It will be reduced again, so we can arrive in three days." Yang Zhi on the side also nodded in agreement.
"Then take it slower, as long as we can reach the foot of Baihu Mountain within five days. But I also have a request. Once we get there, we must launch an attack on the enemy. Even if it is just a small contact, it is better than wasting time and energy there. Food needs to be strong." Sun Tu looked at the two of them seriously and said.
This really tested the two men's ability to lead troops. After all, traveling a long distance of eighty or ninety miles to catch up to a place takes a lot of wear on the army. It is even more taboo for military strategists to go into battle as soon as they arrive at the destination. The spirit and physical strength of the army must be grasped. However, after some thought, Qi Desheng still nodded and said: "I will obey the order."
After saying this, he quickly turned his horse's head and shouted to the soldiers around him: "Stick up your spirits and speed up the march. Today we have to get to the Savage Slope in front before sunset to rest." !" This barbarian slope is forty miles away from Qingzhou City, and this speed is much faster than previously expected.
Regarding this arrangement, Sun Tu had no intention of intervening. As the saying goes, he had no doubts about employing people. Since he believed that he could lead the troops well, he let him do it freely.
So under the urging, a thousand officers and soldiers kept moving forward at a trot. When they passed some villages, many people were shocked, thinking that some thieves were coming to rob them. Woolen cloth. It wasn't until we saw clearly the colors of the official and military uniforms on the team that everyone felt a little more at ease.
Thousands of Qingzhou soldiers had a clear direction, and their rapid movement towards the northeast quickly alarmed many people along the way. The news spread quickly, even faster than the army's march. It took only two days for this matter to be resolved. It has been spread to Baihu Village at the foot of Baihu Mountain.
This Baihu Village is the property of the Confucius family. At the beginning, Confucius
It was also because the brothers had enmity with the government that they killed people and fled up the mountain in anger. Under their management, the local government did not dare to attack the poorly defended Baihu Village, let alone attack the village. This made Kong Ming and Kong Liang very proud, and sometimes they only lived in the village instead of Go up the mountain.
It was just like today. When the news reached Zhuangzi, the Kong brothers were talking to a strange-looking short man wearing animal skin clothing, with almost no hair on his head, and only a rat tail-like braid trailing behind: "If you ask us at Baihu Mountain to cooperate with you, you must give us some benefits first, otherwise we will not help you for no reason."
The man spoke in an extremely blunt tone. Hearing this, he took out a tiger-skin luggage from his side and threw it in front of the two of them: "Here are five hundred taels of gold. As long as you are willing to send troops to help us contain the troops in Boden County ahead. Song Jun, once we succeed, there will be benefits in the future."
When Kong Liang heard this, he quickly reached out and picked up the tiger skin bag. When he opened it, he saw that it was full of yellow gold. His eyes lit up: "You are really rich. You have so much gold just to buy a diversion. Deal done, we at Baihu Mountain helped with this!"
As the elder brother, Kong Ming only hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Then it's settled. In five days, we will send troops to harass the vicinity of Boden and attract the officers and soldiers there, and then your people will take action."
"Okay." This one grinned. Although one thousand taels of gold is a lot, it cannot feed thousands of clan members. Only by trying to capture a Han county and rob the food of the people and officials inside can the tribesmen survive this winter safely. And compared to the villages looted in the past six months, the county town should be richer...
The Kong brothers didn't know what he had planned. After reaching an agreement, they sent him away. It wasn't until the other party galloped away that Kong Ming turned his attention to a close brother beside him: "You seem to be in a hurry, what happened?"
"Master Dazhai, someone just sent news from the south, saying that an army from Qingzhou is coming towards us. It seems that they are coming towards us."
"What? This is impossible." Kong Liang looked in disbelief when he heard this: "Qingzhou City has long been devastated by Murong Yanchao and has no troops. How can they still have troops to deal with us?"
Kong Ming shook his head and said: "Your news is out of date. As far as I know, Song Ting sent a new governor to Qingzhou three or four months ago, and also retrained an army. Could it be them?"
"Ying... I guess that's it. I heard that the official army was flying the banner of the Superintendent Sun Tu."
"Haha, an army that has only been formed for a few months still wants to deal with us. I think they are here to die!" Kong Liang laughed disapprovingly: "Brother, it just so happens that we are worried that we may not have too many weapons. As for the confrontation with Boden’s officers and soldiers, it’s better to defeat them first and then go to Boden. And they come in such a swagger, we can even intercept them halfway and let them know how powerful I am at Baihu Mountain!”
Kong Ming only thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "That's it. Let the brothers prepare and set off with us early tomorrow morning!"