At night, Chen Hai finally found an inn in Shibalipu and got a bunk bed.
He originally thought that during this period, the inn's accommodation fees would definitely rise sharply, but it seemed that the government had regulations and the lowest level dormitory accommodation fee only increased by 50%, which saved Chen Hai some money.
"Brother, I heard that several nearby escort agencies are discussing whether to gather people together to go out on escort missions. Now they are recruiting people who know martial arts. Why don't we go and take a look?" A burly man with muscles all over his arms said in a rough voice.
"Stop messing around. How many more people can we gather? Even if there are a hundred of them, we won't be able to escape if we encounter the rebels. Stop talking nonsense." His eldest brother said while leaning against the wall and cracking melon seeds.
Chen Hai pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the conversation between the two, raising the booklet in his hand a few centimeters.
The two men showed no intention of avoiding the issue when speaking, and it seemed that they were talking about some obvious news.
"No, big brother, the county lieutenant said that General Lou Qian and his men have wiped out the bandits causing trouble near Guangyang Prefecture, and are now leading their men to our side. We estimate that they will arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"Captain Lou? That's the nephew of Magistrate Lou? He's a seventh-rank military officer. How could he come to us so soon? He didn't even go to the nearby counties?"
"That's not true. You also said that our Magistrate Lou is his uncle, so he has connections. Fu Biaotou said that when the rebels are defeated and everyone is gathered together, we can start our journey."
“That makes sense.”
"Hey, friend, you've been listening for so long, would you like to join me?" The skinny man turned and looked at Chen Hai.
"Ah? Are you talking about me?" Chen Hai was stunned and put down the book in his hand.
The man raised his eyebrows, and his meaning was very clear, not who you were talking about.
"No, I'd better wait a few more days and leave when it's safe." Chen Hai declined the other party's invitation.
First of all, these two people just met for the first time and don’t know anything about their background, so it is most deadly to form an adventure team.
Secondly, the team is composed of multiple escort agencies. Just think about it and you will know that the personnel are complicated. Who knows, anyone could be a bandit or a mobster of the rebels. It is better to stabilize the situation first.
Finally, if what they said was true, then in a few days, or at most a week, the surrounding area would be peaceful again. Chen Hai could use this time to wander around Shibalipu and explore the map. Wouldn't that be great? Why did he have to go there to seek death
After Chen Hai decisively refused, the two brothers looked at each other, feeling a little regretful.
I don’t know if it’s a pity that Chen Hai didn’t take the bait.
When night really came, Chen Hai couldn't fall asleep at all because of the rustling noise around him.
After leaving Tongfu Inn, Chen Hai discovered that although the world was better than he had imagined, lack of security was still a big problem.
In Yanhuang, if you sleep on a large bunk bed with strangers, the worst that can happen is that you lose your belongings, but here, you might even lose your life.
Nothing happened that night, and nothing serious happened in the dormitory.
However, Chen Hai clearly saw that most people had dark circles under their eyes, and it seemed that everyone was on guard against each other at night.
Ding ding ding ding, the loud sound of clappers came from the street.
Chen Hai carried the package on his back and placed the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles at his hand. The short and rapid sound of the clapper represented the signal of an emergency.
The entire Shibalipu became restless after receiving this signal.
Xing Yusen and several detectives stood on a high place and shouted towards the people below.
"According to spies, the rebels have reached Hejiagangzi and are still heading towards us. It is estimated that they will arrive in an hour at most!"
"According to this emergency response method, we call on all martial artists and able-bodied men to join the soldiers in fighting the enemy. Killing one bandit will reward you five taels of silver! Killing three bandits will earn you a place in the army!"
"In addition, all those who participated in the defense will have their taxes reduced or exempted for half a year, the injured will receive free medical treatment, and the deceased will receive double the pension!"
Xing Yusen was yelling at the top, and the people below were also talking about it.
To be honest, the entire Shibalipu army, including the bodyguards and those who are skilled in martial arts, can at least gather about 200 people.
Coupled with that circle of city walls, the chances of victory for these desperate rebels are not very high. If the opponent's tactics were not so precise, there would be many people ready to make money by now.
After Xing Yusen shouted twice, the surrounding merchants also began to contribute money together. If the city was broken, they would basically be in big trouble.
With this encouragement, more and more people came out of the crowd, and finally a hundred people came out.
From the perspective of interests, Chen Hai should not be involved in this matter, but as a public official and the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, his inherent sense of justice made him decisively choose to stand up.
I'm in my thirties now, but I still get hot-headed. There's nothing I can say about it.
Soon, under the arrangement of the soldiers, the one hundred people who joined later were dispersed to both sides of the city wall as auxiliary troops.
People like Chen Hai who had no weapons were also given a big knife. To be honest, the quality of this knife was really bad. Chen Hai was afraid that the blade would bend when it was used to cut hard wood. However, there was nothing he could do as it was a special period.
After Chen Hai and others were arranged, the enemy quickly arrived at the battlefield.
Unlike what is recorded in history and described in film and television dramas, this group of rebels, which numbered only a hundred or so, was surprisingly well-organized.
All internal members seem to be spontaneously maintaining the team's uniformity.
"Raise your shield!"
Following the county lieutenant's order, the people in the first row raised the wooden shields in their hands.
Precision tactics emphasize hitting the target, but not necessarily hitting the target. It can be blocked by any object in the middle.
Bai Zhantang suffered the disadvantage of being unarmed at that time, and he was not as fast as the wind blade when he moved sideways or changed direction, so he could only rely on distance to reduce the damage he suffered.
"Sir, there is something wrong with these rebels. How dare they attack us directly? With just a half-hearted general and a hundred or so soldiers?"
"I know, but now is not the time to think about this. Have you sent out the messenger I asked you to send out?" The county lieutenant stood behind the soldiers and looked at the rebels in the distance.
"They have been sent out. All the cavalry and infantry have been sent out. Not a single one is left."
"That's fine, let's get ready to fight the enemy." The county lieutenant took a deep breath and clenched the knife in his hand.
A solemn and murderous atmosphere permeated the battlefield. The auxiliary soldiers in the second row clenched their fists, ready to fill the gap when their colleagues in the front fell.
Everyone understood that the enemy's number of people was not enough to carry out a proper siege. The only way was to reduce the number of defenders and then rely on precise tactics to attack the target.