"boom……"

"Wow..."

No one expected that when everything seemed to be going so smoothly, a sudden rainstorm brought everything to an end.

When Zhang Dan led all the troops to the edge of the mainland swamp, he saw the turbulent swamp water rising up, and all the small boats originally arranged by the sentinels on the reeds by the swamp were washed away from the shore.

Seeing the small boats dotted on the vast swamp, Zhang Dan's face turned pale.

Before, he was still hearing the words that he was going to destroy the Black Horse Thief, but now he could only look at it and sigh.

Is this operation really dead in the middle?

Zhang Dan's unwillingness fell into the eyes of Xun You who was standing next to him. He looked at Xu Jian, the general with his head lowered, and suddenly asked:

"Xu Sheng, how many boats do you have?"

Xu Jian understood what Xun You meant and said honestly:

"That's more than twenty. If it's full, it can only take a hundred people. But if these people go up, they will die. What's the use of going there?"

Although Xu Jian is a reduced general, he wants to survive. His meaning is very direct, don't let us brothers do this, it will lead to death.

But Pan Zhang, who was standing beside Xun You, didn't mean what he said. Pan Zhang's blood surged, he cupped his fists and asked the silent Zhang Dan:

"Captain, I am willing to lead a hundred of our elite troops ashore first. We have been preparing for this battle for so long, and now we are just on the verge of getting there. We must not give up."

Zhang Dan looked at the lake and sighed inwardly:

"Yes, it's just a little bit close. Once we give up this time, we will never have this opportunity again, and the enemy will be more cautious. By then, how much energy, money and food will it take to pacify it?"

Zhang Dan looked at the small boats on the surface and knew that these scattered boats would soon be discovered by the patrolling boats. So the only chance now was to make a surprise landing in the heavy rain.

After looking at the determined Pan Zhang, Zhang Dan finally made up his mind:

"Xiao Pan, you find a hundred people, bring armor, and board first. No matter what method you use, you can withstand it for at least half an hour. After half an hour, I will personally lead the second group of people to pick you up."

Pan Zhang clasped his fists and was about to go down to select someone.

Suddenly remembering something, he turned around and said to Zhang Dan:

"Captain, you and I want to be together?"

Zhang Dan is curious but very generous:

"Whoever you want in the entire army will be given to you."

Pan Zhang shook his finger and pointed at one person, but it was the thief general Xu Jian who had just surrendered.

Xu Jian saw that all these Taishan generals were looking at her eagerly, how could they dare to say no?

…

The boat swayed lightly, paddling deep into the swamp in the heavy rain.

Before setting off, Pan Zhang took the rare opportunity of leading a hundred warriors to pray in the direction of Mount Tai, hoping that the Lord of Mount Tai would bless them for a successful battle.

As the Taishan Army separated from Taiping Road, the belief in the army moved closer and closer to the mysterious Taishan Mansion Lord. But Pan Zhang, a free-spirited man who never believed in ghosts and gods, rarely led people to pray for blessings today.

Because this time Pan Zhang was not praying for himself, but for the hundreds of people behind him who were willing to share hardships, life and death with Pan Zhang.

When Pan Zhang was ready, he led his men to wade into the small boat, which contained some of the army's baggage and armor.

The thieves are not patrolling now because of the heavy rain, but they will definitely find their traces after the rain stops. So they have to land ashore as soon as possible. Time is very tight.

Pan Zhang divided the hundred-man raiding party into three teams. He led forty people himself, and the other two generals led the rest.

That's right, Pan Zhang sent out all the elites in his camp this time, and every one of them was at least a general or above.

Pan Zhang said goodbye to his two generals:

"Maybe this time is the last time we get together in this life. In this battle, you two will each lead a team of troops to cover my two wings. I don't care what method you use, in short, once I charge, no enemy will be allowed to enter from the two wings."

Looking at the determined eyes of the two generals, Pan Zhang smiled:

"This time, we lead a hundred people to attack the stronghold in a heavy rain. If we succeed, we will definitely go down in history. If we fail, I, Old Pan, will be buried here with you. But don't worry, the captain will definitely let these black horse thieves be buried with us. .To have such a royal burial is not a waste of time for us to come to this world."

After saying that, Pan Zhang picked up the Zhuangxing wine next to him and touched it with the two of them. Then he raised the bowl and shook it towards Zhang Dan, who was watching them not far away, and drank it all in one gulp.

The rain mixed with the wine stimulated Pan Zhang's taste buds, making him proud:

"Just join me, Lao Pan, and try to take a chance on this huge wealth."

After saying that, Pan Zhang took the lead in boarding the boat and paddled with all his strength. After a while, the twenty boats disappeared in the rain, leaving only Zhang Dan standing on the shore.

In the heavy rain, Pan Zhang was rowing a boat and said to Xu Jian, the general beside him:

"You know the inside of the Black Horse Bandit's water village, right?"

Xu Jian nodded, knowing what Pan Zhang meant, but he couldn't help pouring cold water on Pan Zhang:

"The young general is indeed brave, but he is no stranger to pouring cold water on him. Even if we know the location of Thief Zheng, we may not be able to attack him. Although most of the Black Horse Thieves are deployed in other places, there are thousands of people in his water stronghold all year round. The water bandits are here, and with a hundred of us, we may not even be able to touch the gate of the village."

Pan Zhang smiled, pointed at Xu Jian and said:

"Aren't you here? Don't tell me you can't open the door even if you shout?"

Xu Jian was silent.

Pan Zhang didn't say anything, he just looked at this person with a smile, and the other four people in the boat also looked at him, and the atmosphere was very solemn.

After a while, Xu Jian bent down and said again:

"So what if I risk calling the door open? It's better to hide and wait for the people behind to come up and join us."

After hearing this, Pan Zhang lowered his head and said:

"You will help me, right."

Xu Jian felt really uncomfortable.

As someone who climbed up from a water bandit's den, he naturally knew what Pan Zhang was thinking. This man just wanted to climb up. If you talk to him about the risks now, it would be like farting.

But what can Xu Jian do? He is just a surrender, and he is alone in Pan Zhang's army. Can he say no?

This is the way the world is. You can't do it when you are a thief, and you still can't do it even if you join the Taishan Army.

In the end, Xu Jian nodded and agreed to take the risk with Pan Zhang.

The rain fell harder and harder, and more and more fog accumulated on the lake.

When Pan Zhang and a hundred others bravely landed on Zexin Island, the archery tower on the island was quiet.

Pan Zhang and others took out the armor from under the thatch, put it on each other, and then brought a layer of raincoat for themselves.

After gathering the forty people in his team, Pan Zhang took the lead in walking through the rain curtain in the direction pointed by Xu Jian.

Along the way, it was quiet except for the sound of footsteps and the sound of rain.

Pan Zhang's plan this time is very simple. He just needs to know where the thief Zheng is and then kill him.

And the plan went more smoothly than he expected.

With his team of forty people in the center and the other two teams of thirty people each on the flanks, the team moved very quickly and soon arrived at a silent water village.

In the mist, only a corner of the water village was exposed, and the rest was hidden inside, like a lying giant beast with its huge mouth open waiting for Pan Zhang and others to enter and die.

At this point, Xu Jian, a thin and dark man, looked at Pan Zhang again. Seeing that the man's eyes were blood red, he knew his determination.

So Xu Jian calmed down the fear in her heart and led the two of them to the front of the village.

Sure enough, before I could get closer, a voice came from the building opposite:

"Who's down there?"

The military discipline of the Black Horse Thieves was not good, otherwise they would not have run away to hide from the rain when it started to rain. So even if they knew someone was approaching from below, they would only inquire without shooting an arrow.

Xu Jian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. He was really afraid that he would be shot to death before he could say a word, but fortunately he still had a chance to open his mouth.

So Xu Jian vented all the anger he had accumulated along the way:

"Hot lady, you guys are soaking in the rain outside the lake, but you are hiding inside to enjoy the blessings. Open the door quickly, I have important military information and reports from the leader."

The soldiers upstairs looked closer and saw Xu Jian's face clearly. Some of them knew him and mocked:

"What kind of military situation can you have with a shabby guy outside? Hurry up and leave. You can't open the gate of this village if it's closed. Don't you know the rules?"

Xu Jian's eyes turned red and she cursed back:

"If you blind your dog eyes, Nai Gong will beat you to death when he comes in? What military information do I have? Let me tell you, Nai Gong discovered the traces of the Taishan bandits. If it hadn't been for this heavy rain, they might have killed them all the way to the edge of the river? Do you still dare not to open the door?"

The people above were all panicked when they heard the news about the Taishan bandits. They all knew that the Taishan army outside the river was encircling and suppressing them at the moment, and they were not as confident as the leaders.

Because their family members outside Ze often told them some news about the Taishan Army.

One said that his family had been divided into fields, and the other said that the wealthy man who had bullied their family had been punished. These news were varied, but they all made these black horse thieves understand that the Taishan army outside Zewai seemed to be different from the previous Han army.

Now that the watchtower guards understood the seriousness, they did not dare to delay any longer and began to open the stronghold.

But just when the wall was halfway open, the mist dissipated, revealing Pan Zhang and others behind.

The old gangster guarding the gate was startled and just asked:

"who are you?"
To be continued...