South of Yazhou, Lihua Town.
This is a small town located next to the Tianshui River. It is not large in scale, with a normal resident population of about five to six thousand. Because it is located in a remote area of Qi State and the terrain is relatively flat, it is rarely affected by disasters and bandits. In addition, Yazhou is adjacent to Youzhou and Qingzhou. Caravans traveling between the two places on the Tianshui River often settle in towns along the river. The residents here live a good life and have quite a bit of money at home.
However, these peaceful days changed with the defeat of the Ten Provinces Allied Forces.
From time to time, passers-by brought news about which towns in Gyeongju and Youju had been looted.
In the outskirts of the town, there are gradually more and more bandits who make a living by robbing homes.
The residents of the town spontaneously formed a team training team to make up for the vacancy left by the Yazhou Army. Because the place is small, the Privy Council did not send any alchemists to stay here. With the support of the local Li Yin and the squires, the regiment was well-organized. Not only were all members equipped with spears and clubs, but they also scared off several people. The refugees and robbers who approached the town for the first time.
On this day, the sentry captured another group of people coming from the north.
He hurriedly rang the bronze bell next to him.
With the crisp sound of the bell, the town's team training team quickly gathered together.
"It's a defeated soldier!"
"Bring Juma over here quickly!"
There is no city wall in the town, only a half-man-high fence. According to the training content, everyone put their spears on the railings, which became a natural line of defense. Coupled with the fortifications to prevent the horses from charging, and the crossbowmen who climbed to the high point behind, this formation was enough to scare away most enemies.
But this time, the other party did not back down because of their reaction.
The enemy accelerated and launched a charge!
"Sir, they are coming!"
"Don't panic, there are only about a hundred people!" Li Yin shouted, "Left the gun straight! Draw the bow and prepare - release!"
The arrows were shot out in unison, but with little success. The general who charged at the leader waved his sword a few times and knocked away all the arrows aimed at him.
"Kill!" The man shouted, and ran his horse into the gun formation. While blood was spattering on the horse, he actually jumped off the horse, jumped over the fence, and landed in the group training team!
Everyone rushed forward, but he used a pair of iron hands to spin him away.
No matter who it is, no one can stand in front of this person. Not only that, the more he kills, the more excited he is, rushing left and right in the crowd while laughing wildly.
Ordinary people have never seen such a scene. Facing the flying limbs, the little courage they had originally disappeared. In addition, other enemies had also rushed to the fence, and the line they had finally established collapsed in an instant.
Li Yin, who was commanding from the high platform, was also split open in the stomach by the defeated general's sword.
He lay down in the mud and pointed at the other party tremblingly, "You... you are not the defeated army of Yazhou..."
This person's strength and reaction are far superior to ordinary people. Li Yin has seen some things in the world and knows that only the alchemists of the Privy Council can do this.
Even if the army is defeated miserably, it is impossible for the alchemists to fall with the defeated warriors - they are inherently superior to others.
"Of course I'm not." The other party smiled. His accent is extremely thick, and he doesn't look like a Yazhou person at all.
"Then... why do you..."
"Otherwise, how can I reward my subordinates? I can't rely on the salary from above, right?" He raised his sword and struck down, cleanly cutting off Li Yin's neck, and sealed the second half of his sentence in his mouth. , and then shouted to the team, "This town is yours! Go get your rewards!"
"Here!" The soldiers wearing the clothes of the defeated army roared with laughter, cutting down those soldiers and civilians who had no time to escape, and followed the backs of other defeated people into the streets.
Soon, screams and wails could be heard everywhere in Lihua Town.
"Master Qiao, this tattered armor is really useful." The adjutant rode close to the general and said, "Those people thought we were the Yazhou Army when they were about to die."
"Who allowed them to lose to Jinxia City? This bad debt is destined to be blamed on them." Qiao Zhenggang laughed heartily, "If I hadn't been transferred to Shangyuan City soon, I would have really wanted to be here. Stay a little longer."
"Shangyuan also has the benefits of being in Shangyuan. I heard that there are many beautiful women there, and the hospitality is warm. The enjoyment is much richer than here."
"Women? Huh... How can hunting be as refreshing as hunting." Qiao Zhenggang said disapprovingly. As the third-level guard of Xu State, he has been stationed in remote places for a long time. His biggest hobby is to kill people in different ways. The more blood his hands are soaked in, the stronger his ability seems to be. Every time he encounters a bottleneck in his practice, he will find ways to taste the fishy smell.
It's a pity that there are still people above him watching, and the number of robbers and death row prisoners is always limited, so he can't enjoy it as much as he wants. Now that he is transferred to Qiguo Yazhou, he finally has an outlet to vent his anger.
Yes, this place theoretically falls under the rule of the Seven Stars and is a territory managed by the Privy Council, but in fact, who would care about the citizens of a little-known place? During times of war, it was normal for people in villages and towns to be massacred. Even if someone found out, it was the work of bandits who were roaming around to cause trouble.
While chasing down the defeated Yazhou Army in exchange for military honors, while impersonating the Yazhou Army to plunder nearby towns and villages, Qiao Zhenggang felt a rare sense of satisfaction.
This move also received enthusiastic support from his subordinates.
Most of these people are from the Xu country. After arriving in a foreign land with no connection, all psychological burdens no longer exist. As long as you cooperate with the leader to kill, you can fill your pockets. No one can refuse this kind of good thing.
Knowing that a new general was about to take over the defense of Yazhou Port, Qiao Zhenggang accelerated his pace of enjoyment these days.
If it weren't for the presence of alchemists stationed in those big cities, who would easily be discovered, he would even want to find a serious city and experience the pleasure of slaughtering a city with a sword.
"Master Qiao, please report from Yazhou Port!" This was a messenger riding towards the town. "Unusual phenomena have been discovered in the southeastern sea area. It is suspected that the enemy is approaching!"
"Enemy?" Qiao Zhenggang raised his eyebrows, "Where are our navy generals?"
"Both Mr. Xu and Mr. Luo did not move. They said that the Jiaotou ship was not good at naval combat. They probably wanted to wait for the other side to get closer before making any plans."
"Humph, not good at sea battles? I think you just want to save your wings. Whatever, I'll go over right away." Qiao Zhenggang turned to the adjutant and ordered, "I'll give you half a day to bring these people back to the camp before nightfall. I haven't grabbed enough. There will be another chance in the future, but if anyone dares to violate military orders, I will take his head tonight!"
"Subordinates take orders!"
Qiao Zhenggang got on the horse that others had given up and headed towards Yazhou Port.
This place was only an hour and a half away from where the army landed. Shortly after noon, he returned to where the army was stationed. After boarding the guard tower, Qiao Zhenggang took the lookout glass from the soldier's hand and pointed it at the sea to the south.
Sure enough, he found a gray-green "hill" on the blue sea.