"The men held their tongues, the horses lifted their hooves, the flags and drums were lowered, the noise was suppressed, and they rushed to the banks of the Kunshan River at full speed."
After Zhu Ping'an led the Zhejiang army away from the city gate, he ordered all soldiers to rush to Kunshan with their mouths covered and their horses wrapped in gold.
All the Zhejiang Army soldiers who were traveling with them bit a branch in their mouths, wrapped the horses' hooves with two layers of cloth, and tied a stick to the horses' bridles so that the horses could hold it in their mouths to prevent the mules and horses from neighing.
Zhu Ping'an was no exception. He also broke off a branch and put it in his mouth, then spurred his horse and rode at full speed.
The journey was uneventful. Apart from scaring away a flock of birds and stray livestock, we didn't encounter anyone and successfully arrived at the bank of Kunshan River.
Kunshan is also known as "Lucheng". It is said that King Shoumeng of Wu once set up a garden to raise deer for hunting and built a city called Xilucheng, hence the name Lucheng. Later, it was named Kunshan because the county seat was located in the northwest of Kunshan, hence the name Kunshan County.
However, Kunshan County is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Except for Kunshan, the rest of the county is a plain with dense river networks.
Ancient bridges, small rivers, and rows of villages sleeping beside the rivers are like a landscape painting.
Unfortunately, because of the Japanese invasion, the common people in these villages fled, and the villages became deserted and lifeless.
Such a beautiful Jiangnan water town and such a lifeless village made Zhu Ping'an more determined to wipe out the Japanese pirates as soon as possible.
I, Zhu Ping'an, have come to this era, and I cannot watch the tragedy of history repeat itself. I must eliminate the Japanese invasion earlier and better than in history! Let the people of this empire live better and more dignified lives!
"Da Dao, go to that forest and see if Chen Dacheng and the others are there?"
After Zhu Ping'an arrived at the bank of Kunshan River, he glanced at the surrounding terrain and pointed to the dense forest not far away and said to Liu Dadao.
When they broke out from Fengqiao camp, Wei Ping'an ordered Chen Dacheng to lead 80 Zhejiang troops to lurk on the bank of Kunshan River, where they prepared a big gift for the Japanese pirates.
Judging from the terrain, the only places they can hide nearby, apart from the dense forests, are the mountains in the distance.
However, that mountain is too far away from the river bank, several miles away. Lurking there is not conducive to monitoring the river and it is easy to miss the opportunity to fight. Therefore, the most likely place for Chen Dacheng and his men to lurk is this dense forest.
"Okay, I'll go see if Lao Chen is hiding in the woods."
Liu Dadao took the order, dismounted, and ran towards the woods. After entering the woods, he put his fingers to his mouth, puffed up his cheeks, and made a loud bird cry of "Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo..." and repeated it three times.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
Not long after Liu Dadao's bird call was heard, a burst of bird calls came from deep in the woods, responding three times.
"Hey, Xiao Chen is in the woods." Ruofeng heard the sound of birds singing from the woods and smiled, touching his chin.
The Zhejiang Army used the sound of birds chirping to transmit information, and it was Zhu Pingan who taught them. At the beginning, they used the sound of birds to transmit information, but because of the unseasonal bird calls, they were exposed. They learned their lesson, and now the bird calls they use to transmit information are all suitable for the season and the region.
He knew very well what the birdsong meant.
Sure enough, not long after the bird's chirping responded, Liu Dadao led Chen Dacheng out of the woods.
Chen Dacheng wore a straw hat made of branches on his head and a straw raincoat made of thatch, which was very camouflaged.
"Greetings, sir..."
Chen Dacheng stepped forward to greet Zhu Ping'an, feeling a little excited. They had been hiding here for a day and a night, sleeping in the open air in the cold winter, which was extremely hard. The biting cold wind, the damp and icy ground, and to prevent being exposed, they could not make a fire to keep warm, or even to cook, and could only eat cold food... The arrival of Zhu Ping'an and his companions meant that their suffering was not in vain.
The time has finally come for their lurking to come into play, how can they not be excited
"Dacheng, you have been sleeping outdoors in the cold winter. Thank you for your hard work."
Zhu Ping'an quickly stepped forward and helped Chen Dacheng up. Seeing his face tortured by wind and frost, he patted his shoulder and encouraged him with great emotion.
"It's not hard, it's not hard. What we are experiencing is nothing. It's hard for you, sir, to fight for life and death with the Japanese pirates." Chen Dacheng shook his head repeatedly.
"I've remembered all your hard work. Are everything ready?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"Everything is ready. Sir, we brought more than 2,000 kilograms of kerosene from the camp. In addition to some for the grand gift, the rest is stored in the woods and can be used at any time. We have also prepared all the other things according to your instructions, and have also made arrangements by the river according to your instructions."
Chen Dacheng replied seriously.
"Very good! I'll give you credit for your achievement. Now, take us to the woods quickly, hide the mules and horses first, and then prepare to give this great gift to the Japanese pirates." Zhu Ping'an nodded with satisfaction after hearing Chen Dacheng's report.
"Please come in, sir." Chen Dacheng led Zhu Ping'an and his party into the woods.
This forest is very large, interspersed with large patches of dry reeds. There is also a hidden valley deep in the forest, filled with trees and bushes. After Chen Dacheng and his men came out of Fengqiao Camp, they hid in this valley.
"Sir, this valley has three exits leading to the outside. One of them can lead a horse out of the valley, and you can ride the horse out..." Chen Dacheng led Zhu Ping'an into the valley and introduced the valley's situation along the way.
After Zhu Ping'an walked into the valley, he looked around and nodded with satisfaction. Leaving the mules and horses here would definitely not be exposed. There were three exits leading to the outside in the valley, so there was no need to worry about being trapped.
The Zhejiang troops under Chen Dacheng were all in the valley. They were dressed similarly to Chen Dacheng, wearing straw hats made of branches and raincoats, and their faces were weather-beaten. When they saw Zhu Ping'an, they all came forward to greet him.
"This is an extraordinary period, so there is no need to be polite. You have all worked hard, and I will remember it and reward you for your merits after the war." Zhu Ping'an waved his hand and encouraged them.
A man will die for his friend. Upon hearing this, all the soldiers were deeply excited and suddenly filled with endless motivation.
Zhu Ping'an commanded the soldiers to gather the mules and horses in the valley, close to the entrance where horses could pass, so that they could ride out of the valley at any time to be prepared.
In order to prevent the horse's neighing from exposing his tracks and causing trouble, Zhu Ping'an did not allow anyone to take the wood chip out of the horse's mouth.
"Dacheng, let me see the gifts you have prepared." After hiding the mules and horses, Zhu Ping'an said to Chen Dacheng.
"Sir, this way please."
Liu Dacheng led Zhu Ping'an into the depths of the valley.