After nightfall, three thousand torches burned on the official road on the south side of Xishan Town, like a winding fire snake, heading towards Xiushui County.
Chu Yunyun originally expected to gather 12,000 people, but after nightfall, the number of people gathered on the south side of Xishan Town far exceeded this number.
Not only were many wealthy families in Xishan Town in awe and gave up all their wealth, but many forces outside Xishan Town also consciously sent over their martial arts guardians and family soldiers.
At this time, an hour had passed since the battle at Black Bear Mountain ended.
The news that Xishan Tang almost completely wiped out the Xiushui County army at the southern foot of Black Bear Mountain, and that the Dan family defeated the Xishan bandits at Guiwei Gorge, has spread throughout Xiushui County.
Everyone in Xishan Town who is well-informed has learned about this incident, and they all realize that the overall situation of Xishan Town has been decided, and the beautiful water has changed.
After this battle, the Iron Banner Gang Xishan Hall will not only be the overlord of the entire Xishan Town, but its sphere of influence will also cover the northern part of Xiushui County and a small half of Xishan.
In the next ten years, if there are no major changes, Xishan Tang will become the largest political power in the northern part of Xiushui County.
Chu Xisheng, the leader of the Xishan Hall, will also be one of the few powerful figures in Xiushui County. All the wealthy locals, merchants, escort agencies, caravans, salt dealers, etc. living in the northern border of Xiushui must look up to him.
If they don't express their respect to Xishan Town, they may never have the opportunity to express their respect again.
So even after nightfall, groups of warriors came uninvited with torches and hurriedly arrived at the gathering place designated by Chu Yunyun.
The final number calculated by Chu Xisheng and Lu Pingyuan was 17,700 people.
And they are all well-equipped, well-educated, strong and strong men.
Among them, the armor coverage rate exceeds 45%, the iron armor exceeds 700 leaders, and the armor coverage rate even exceeds that of some border troops.
That is mainly the contribution of Xishan Hall.
There are 1,700 people in Xishan Hall, and everyone is wearing armor.
These hunters also all wear leather armor.
Any hunter in the Western Mountains who cares about his life will find a way to make himself a leather armor. All of them are made of fine materials, high quality, and their defensive capabilities far exceed the standard leather armor of the county army and the border army.
Xishan Tang also seized a small amount of weapons in Baixiong Mountain.
Si Shubo distributed all the swords, guns and armor that were still intact, and almost all the Xishan gang members and hunters were armed to the teeth.
The local tycoons in Xishan Town also brought out all their own weapons and equipment, including not more than a hundred iron armors.
When the more than 17,000 people retreated along the official road to Xiushi Shu City, all the villages along the way closed their doors tightly, and all the caravans moved to both sides of the official road.
The eight gate policemen and county soldiers who were patrolling the official road also moved out of the way consciously.
We were all pale, and looked anxiously as we watched the soldiers and hunters behind us retreat.
As the saying goes, there are more than ten thousand soldiers and horses, and there are edges and edges.
More than ten thousand people organized by Xishan Hall retreated on the official road like a long dragon.
From the back line to the front line, there is a full length of space. We stood beside the road and waited, and it took a full moment to see the rear end of the small army.
In order to compensate Zhou Liangchen, Liu Ruoxi appointed Zhou Liangchen to command the rear army, and urged 1,700 rural noble guards to retreat to the rear of the small army.
Zhou Liangchen was quite excited as soon as it was over.
I'm a fairly calm person, but after all, I've been full of energy for many years.
When Zhou Liangchen was young, he never dreamed of joining the army and leading a small army across the battlefield.
At this time, he had the opportunity to command thousands of troops, and Zhou Liangchen cherished it very much.
But I soon became disappointed, because there were obstacles in the way of Xishantang's small army going south until they reached the top of the Xiuweiyang city wall.
Some people were stupid enough to use their arms as chariots to block Xishan Hall's small army.
Even though Zhou Liangchen and his men swept through the eight manor houses of the Xiaguan family and the Shen family, there was no movement among these aristocratic families in the inner city of Xiushui.
Therefore, when there were 17,000 people in Xishan Hall and Chen Bing was stationed eight miles outside the northern city of Xiu Weiyang.
Zhou Liangchen crossed her arms and looked at the rear city wall with great disappointment, especially the crowd of people who came to the city gate tower and looked down to the north.
——Those small and aristocratic families who show off Weiyang actually have some backbone.
Zhou Liangchen knew that at the front of the battle formation, Long Heng was evaluating me.
The tone of the Lieutenant of the Later Shence Capital was slightly admiring: "The march was unorganized. It seems that I have carefully studied the good ministers. I heard that the Linhai Zhou family has also produced several eighth-grade generals. They should be learned from home."
origin."
But Li Shenshan sighed slightly: "It looks similar, but it looks good. If it were placed in the north, and someone else would attack it with hundreds of cavalry, I would be in a hurry."
Long Heng laughed dumbly. The thousand people led by Zhou Liangchen were just a mob. I was able to lead them like that, which was already weaker than the few thousand households in the local county army.
This kid only needs to train in the army for a while and accumulate some experience. If he is about 80 years old, he will be a frontier soldier in the Northern Army. He will be much weaker than me and Li Shenshan.
What's more, our Xishan Hall is just a Jianghu gang, and we want to rebel.
With the level of Xishan Tangmu, it is more than enough to cope with the fighting between rivers and lakes. We can even compete head-on with the local county troops, but it is too little to ask for.
When he thought of the word 'rebellion', Long Heng looked north blankly.
Do you know when the two villainous lieutenants Shui Canglang and Gong Youji will raise their flag of rebellion?
When can we become kings and avenge our brothers who died in Luofeng Mountain?
While the two were discussing, Liu Ruoxi was talking to Lin Shiling, the head of the Dan family.
"I heard that in today's battle at Guiwei Gorge, there was no green smoke covering the battlefield, and no two mysterious half-demon weaklings appeared and killed Xia Qingtian, the master of the Four Swords Dock, 'Jinghong Sword', and Meng Yunshan, the master of Baiyun Village. Help them
Hit the bandit?"
When Lin Shiling heard that question, his scalp felt numb and his whole head hurt.
That's why I kept making excuses and delaying my arrival until now.
Lin Shiling expected that Liu Ruoxi would ask about this matter, but she knew how to answer it.
I have to face that problem sooner or later. It is said that if you extend your head, it will be a knife, if you shrink your head, it will be a knife, and if you hide, you will get out of the way.
Lin Shiling tried his best to open his eyes and looked at Liu Ruoxi: "You were actually too vague about this matter. Suddenly there was no cloud of smoke covering the battlefield. You felt very strange and restrained your subordinates to stick to the stone fortress. Then you heard the tragedy inside
There are screams and bursts, and we are still shouting about seven masters and eight masters dying in battle. You know what is going on, and you are completely confused.
It was only when the green smoke dissipated that all these Xishan bandits were defeated. It was only half an hour before the battle that you heard that there were no two half-demon martial cultivators who took action at that time. Both Xia Qingtian and Meng Yunshan He died in our hands. What is very strange is that when you cleaned the battlefield beforehand, you found our bodies, so you know whether the rumors are true or not - "
I told lies with my eyes open, but my tone was more sincere and sincere.
Liu Ruoxi's heart was like a mirror, she knew what was going on.
The corners of your lips raised slightly, looking at Si Shuling's performance with a hint of teasing.
Lu Luanli was standing next to Liu Ruoxi, but his face was solemn and he was thinking nothing.
Lu Luanli thought of Shen Yunxiang and Yue Wei.
Before the battle with Tie Xiaosheng, it was rumored that two eighth-level martial arts cultivators, Shen Yunxiang and Yue Wei, had also retreated into Tie Xiaosheng, and had seen both dead people and corpses.
The problem is that Lu Luanli was sure that he had never met those two people from beginning to end during this battle.
Could it be said that there are other seventh-grade masters hidden in Xishan Hall?
In front of Lu Luanli, Xiang Kui and Wang Zhen glanced at each other.
We were all secretly surprised, thinking that the water outside Xishan Hall was deeper than we imagined.
"I see!"
Si Shubo held his chin with his hand and fell into deep thought: "So, the situation is not very similar to Tie Xiaosheng's. The inexplicable smoke is a low-level hand who knows his identity. There are no such things. He is an eighth-grade martial arts cultivator who saw the corpse. Do you really know who he is, and he is willing to help you in Xishan Hall?"
After the Shuijun Army left, I analyzed the incident in detail with you.
Si Shubo believes that if Lin Shiling is willing to handle it, then we should just pretend to be sober and it is necessary to get to the bottom of it.
The background of the Dan family is mysterious. Our family is weak, but it is dormant in the countryside of Xishan. It is because the mountain is leaking. It must be for no reason, and it may involve minimal trouble.
So exposing the Dan family's identity would do us no good at all.
Lu Luanli's lips slightly raised when he heard this: "Yes, Tie Xiaosheng's battle was so strange. You were on guard against Wen Tiancai and Yunhe Dao Yin Yang, but neither of them showed up. At first, I thought We ran away, but now we may have died at the hands of a half-demon martial artist."
You secretly gave Liu Ruoxi a little thumbs up.
Sister Chu is still very tight-lipped and has never revealed your identity.
It's great now that no one has taken the blame for you. These two half-demon weaklings are really good people.
Lin Shiling secretly smiled bitterly and felt as if he had received a small pardon.
However, I always used my true energy to control the expression on my face, and said with emotion: "That's right! If the rumors are true, your family should really have a deep understanding of those two half-demon martyrs. If we hadn't taken action , your Dan family will suffer heavy casualties."
Liu Ruoxi smiled faintly before hearing this. You could tell that there was something else in Si Shuling's words.
If it were the 'half-demon righteous man' who took action, the Dan family would suffer heavy casualties. That is to blame Xishan Hall for saving lives in the face of death——
Liu Ruoxi shook her head and continued to look towards the city head with great concern.
Chu Xisheng frowned slightly.
The Chu brothers and sisters have shown no small kindness to you, and you will not tolerate anyone speaking rudely to us.
Chu Xisheng held the Yuanyang knife at her waist and looked at Lin Shiling warmly: "The eldest sister has given orders to them, asking them to try their best to keep the bandits' trebuchets close to the city wall. As long as we can hold on to two
In time, your small army from Xishan Hall can steal the bandits' path.
But as far as you know, after the green smoke filled the air, the Dan family only huddled in the stone fort, shooting arrows in the direction. And your Xishan Hall also took two hours. If you add the time of rushing, it only took you
It only takes less than an hour to defeat the enemy. They are at both ends of the spectrum, giving the thieves an opportunity to take advantage of them. They actually dare to criticize and ridicule your eldest sister? What if they want to lose face?"
That was information obtained by Lu Pingyuan, and Chu Xisheng could hear it clearly.
Lin Shiling's face turned red.
I thought that man had a sharp mouth, spoke too straightforwardly, and gave too much face to others!
※※※※
At the same time, in the gate tower of Xiuweiyang North City.
The eight members of the Juntie Banner Gang, Xiaguan Shenhao and Si Shu, all looked at the Xishan Hall Xiaojun eight steps north of the city wall with ugly expressions.
Above these eight thousand torches, there is a mass of white human heads.
Our armor and swords reflected red light on the torches. These 7,000 crossbows and 1,700 hunting bows gave us a minimal sense of oppression.
There was no blood on Tie Qi's face, he looked like a dead person.
As early as an hour later, I had learned that Xiu Weiyang's army was slightly defeated on Baixiong Mountain, with a loss of 1,000 soldiers.
It made the back of my eyes turn white, my chest throbbed, and it became easier to breathe.
Si Shu already knew how to face the situation in front of him.
If Xiu Weiyang's army only loses one or two thousand people, I can use my authority to cover it up; even if there are eight or seven thousand casualties, I can still handle it. The only solution is to reduce the loss of financial resources, replenish equipment for the county army, and recruit additional soldiers.
But the casualties that time were as low as a thousand!
Once the subordinates learned about this matter, Tie Qi knew that no matter how well-informed he was, and no matter how well he cultivated relationships, it would be difficult for him to secure his current position as county lieutenant.
Being demoted is a rare event.
What makes matters worse is the rise of Xishan Hall. The Shen family's property is located in the northwest of Xiuweiyang City, which is the coverage area of Xishan Hall's influence.
Now that the foundation of Xishan Hall has been solidified and it controls Xishan, the Shen family is able to do business that they did not have in the north. Even these farms may be able to operate abnormally.
That was also extremely bad news for the Shen family.
Si Shu even gave up the idea of not caring about anything, summoning Shen's soldiers and generals to fight Xishan Tang to the death.
But I knew my idea was stupid.
At this time, the Shen family could only mobilize at least 8,000 soldiers and 7,000 young villagers. Behind the 1,700 gangs and 1,700 bows and swords in Xishan Hall, they were simply beating stones with eggs.
Even if the Xialong family and the Xiaguan family are added together, they may not be able to attack Xishan Hall.
The strength of our eight families is sufficient, but the morale of Xishan Hall is extremely high and the troops are at a sharp front, so it is best to use them at the front.
I guess Danchi and Xiaguan Shenhao will also accompany me crazy.
Our soldiers and generals are all raised with money. How can the seven of them dare to fight again? It will consume their own strength?
What Tie Qi wanted to do most at the moment was to capture the eight commanders of the advancing county army.
Those eight losers, how could we be so stupid as to destroy a thousand county troops at White Bear Mountain?
In front of Tie Qi, the lower officials Shenhao and Si Shu also had livid faces, each of them murmuring something.
——Xishantang actually won!
——These 1,700 pairs of bows and knives in Xishan can be so sharp!
——Danjia actually defended Guiwei Gorge?
——The bandits in Xishan were defeated, and the master of Baiyun Village and the master of Sidaowu, who had caused trouble in Xishan for nearly ten years, actually died in Guiwei Gorge?
——The Juntie Banner Gang is about to resign. With or without the help of the Junjun, and with or without the threat of thieves and bandits, how should we suppress Xishan Tang and how should we contain the Sishu Gang?
——We already have a way to prevent Xishantang from digging the canal. The Shuijun Army has obtained the financial resources of the canal, and has also obtained the help of these 1,700 hunters. By then, the financial power will be small. How can we fight against it?
Countless chaotic thoughts were generated in our minds, making both of us feel stuffy and upset.
The eight families had carefully planned for today's battle for nearly seventy days, but they all lost.
Not only were we able to defeat Xishan Tang, we actually caused Xishan Tang to completely lose control and shocked the northern part of the county with our military might.
A long while ago, Tie Qi finally came back to his senses and looked at the city wall again: "It is said that the person in charge of Xishan Hall now is Liu Ruoxi, a fourth-level magic cultivator. If you work together, you may be able to kill this man!
"
Dan Chi frowned and said, I sensed Si Shu's sinister intentions, but it was limited by my identity, so I spoke out.
The lower official Shenhao shook his head slightly: "There are no two seventh-grade half-demon in Xishan Hall, and their combat power is extremely weak. Moreover, Iron Madman has been stationed at the east dock of the city since the end of this morning. It is said that I have come to kill her.
Killed seventy water bandits and inspired the magical power of the 'Iron-Blooded Pagoda'.
And killing this man is also useful. The foundation of Xishan Hall is the Shuijun Army. As long as the Shuijun Army is dead, Xishan Hall may collapse. This move will only anger Si Shubo and force me to fight you to the death."
Tie Qi's eyes flashed, and then his intensity returned.
It is the purpose of Iron Banner to anger the Shuijun Army and attack our eight families with all their strength.
Only in this way can the subordinate officials Shenhao and Si Shu be forced to help the Shen family to fight against Xishan Hall.
But after just listening to Xia Guan Shenhao's words, I knew that the idea could be successful.
"Brother Shen, don't worry!" Xiaguan Shenhao said with a serious face: "Although the situation is difficult, there is no way to deal with it. Brother Shen has not yet been appointed as the county lieutenant. You must keep it no matter what. 1
The Xiaguan family and the Long family can help him bear half of the losses, as well as the expenses for smoothing the relationship. Once the details are provided, you can discuss it later when you return home."
Danchi's instinct was mostly willing.
Xiushi Shujun lost a thousand men!
How should we cover the loss? Including the cost of smoothing the relationship, seven to eight million magic silver is a lot. How much money will our Long family have to contribute?
Si Shu followed, but suppressed his emotions. With or without the help of the county army, and with or without the authority of the County Iron Banner Gang, our eight families would not even be able to maintain a balance of power with the Xiao Chu Gang.
At this moment, Dan Chi's expression suddenly changed and he looked at a figure approaching from the sky.
This is a middle-aged woman with no cinnabar mole between her eyebrows. I am of medium build and wear a seventh-grade official robe.
This person came from the night sky and landed under the flagpole at the top of the city. He looked at the nearby Xishan Hall soldiers and muttered these words.
Danchi recognized this person at first sight. It was Sikong Chan, the prefect of this county!
I raised my eyebrows slightly, and then looked at each other with the two people next to me.
In the eyes of the eight people, there was a hint of dissatisfaction and hope.
At the same time, at the helm of the Xiao Chu Gang, Wei Shenzhou gave a small laugh: "You only think that Da Chu is a hero of many years! But today, it seems that my sister is not a mortal. The battle at White Bear Mountain,
It’s so beautiful that I dare not worry about going north to the capital.”
I clicked my tongue and sighed: "After that time when Da Chu came back from the capital, you still had to drink me a drink, but that time you really sweated for my Xishan Hall."
There is naturally something to say about the Shuijun army escorting You and his son to Beijing.
Anyone who knows will express admiration and praise his loyalty.
Within the Xiaochu Gang, everyone praises and admires the Shuijun Army as a person.
Before the Guoshui County Army left, the situation faced by Xishan Hall made Wei Shen Zhou unable to sleep well for a few days, and he was really worried for a while.
Is Wei Shenzhou able to get that festival back?
Tie Kuangren was also surprised: "This Si Shubo, you thought he was ordinary when you first met him. But you also didn't expect that you are so great at your age. This man's talent is enough to support the Xishan Hall. He can be extraordinary."
Men look down upon it.”
I laughed loudly: "However, Xishan's small victory today will be better than Chu's strategizing and management skills ten days later. From then on, Xishan Hall's 1,700 pairs of bows and knives were all perfect. That time
I have another little surprise for you."
'Songfengjian' Si Shu frowned slightly: "You are only worried about this demon clan martial cultivator with seventh-level combat power. His identity is unknown and his purpose is unknown. He is a defense. He does not have the strength of Xishan Hall. In the future, Si Shu
There may be no worries about imbalance.”
I actually want to split Xishan Hall——
But the Xiaochu Gang has never had such rules.
If the chief helmsman directly seizes the members and property of Xishan Hall, there will be seventeen li halls of the Little Chu Gang, but there are still more than a thousand ship owners subordinate to the Little Chu Gang, and the people's hearts will be dispersed immediately.
Shen Zhou believed that Tie Kuangren would agree, so he didn't even bother to mention it.
Tie Kuangren really laughed: "That said, Da Chu and Xishan Hall are your wings. You must have as few people like Da Chu in your gang as possible. Otherwise, when will you be able to show off to Wei Yang?"
Pulling it out of the quagmire? Not to mention the character of Da Chu, which can be seen from the fact that I escorted You and his son out of the capital this time."
Shen Zhou was speechless.
We who work in the martial arts world all value loyalty.
A character like Shui Junjun is the most hated by people.
In terms of influence, even Xishan Hall's small victory at Baixiong Mountain was the result of the Jishui County Army's trip to the capital.
Nowadays, all the people in the world of Xiu Sishu are proud of the Shuijun Army. We now all mention the Shuijun Army before dinner, talk about my deeds, and praise my character.
Countless young people in the county regard him as a role model and hate that they have to join the Xishan Hall and serve the hero of the Shuijun Army.
If someone like that had evil intentions, Shen Zhou himself believed it.
Tie Kuangren turned to look at Wei Shenzhou again: "Xi Shan Tang sent troops to Xiushui to help you intimidate the county. This boy is shrewd and has seen the predicament of your Si Shu Gang. You are trying to defeat your good intentions.
A little while ago, he led Fengtang and your Xiaochutang to attack the lower reaches, and then have a showdown with the Eleventh Link Dock."
The next time, our Xiaochu Gang, although we slightly defeated the Eleventh Chain Pier, we were unable to seriously damage its roots.
The family that has been in Xunyang County for more than ten years has a profound power background, and its chief leader, Daoxing, is also a powerful figure.
Before this small battle, the Eleventh Link Station had changed its strategy. We were trying to fight the Xiaochu Gang again.
Instead, we took advantage of our manpower to continue the chaos, piecemeal, and we used slow boats to go south along the river and rob the merchant ships of the Si Shu Gang.
The Sishu Gang has been unable to do anything because the main force of the gang is contained in Xiuweiyang City.
We seem to be expanding our territory, but in fact we are in a very difficult situation.
But before today, the situation will change very little, and the offensive and defensive momentum will be reversed.
"Okay! Just go over there."
Wei Shenzhou responded simply, and I laughed heartily: "You had to catch a bunch of these bastards from the Eleventh Link Station that time, chop them up and feed them to the dogs!"
This chapter has been completed!