It was late at night, and the heavy rain all night showed no sign of stopping. Hou Xuanyan soaked in the hot bathtub, and his whole body was as red as braised shrimp.

I used a scoop of hot water from the bucket with a scoop of water, and dripped it down. After a long sigh, someone knocked on the door outside.

At this time, there are only two types of people who can go directly to Hou Xuanyan's door without notice, his personal soldiers or confidants.

"Come in."

With a creaking sound, the door was pushed open. A young man in a short black suit looked curiously at Hou Xuanyan in the bucket under the candlelight. He was not tall and looked quite thin, but his eyes were flashing with agility and agility. It was obvious that he was a smart boy.

The one who brought him in was Hong Yizhuo, the leader of the intelligence organization under Hou Xuanyan.

"Brother, this little brother came to Changzhou in the rain and wanted to sneak into the city. He was caught by my people outside the city. He said that he was sent by the anti-Qing righteous men near Jinling and wanted to see the eldest brother."

The boy in black bowed and bowed and said, "Li Er, a villain, met the governor of Jinniu Village."

When Hou Xuanyan heard this, he stood up from the water, took a robe and tied it around his waist.

He picked up a handkerchief, wiped his wet hair, and asked, "Are there any anti-Qing righteous men near Jinling?"

Li Er raised his head and said, "Why are there no, there are more than 90 villages outside Jinling Mansion, including us Taurus, Wang Xuan, Sun Li, Liutang, Nie Village, Tao Village, Deng Village, and Longdu Jiu Village. The village formed a village soldier, practiced day and night, and gave the left-by dogs every now and then, letting them know that the men in Jinling were not all cowards."

When Hou Xuanyan heard this, he found that it was similar to the enemy's base during the War of Resistance Against Japan. If there was such a group of people attacking near Jinling, it would be a good thing, that is, I don't know if it was a spy sent by Qing Gou. His eyes rolled and he asked casually: "How many people do you have? What is the name of the leader?"

"Sir, we hid in Qinglong Mountain near Jinling and followed the orders of Zhou Wenwu in the mountains. Although there were many people, many of them were women, children and elderly people. Less than 10,000 people could fight."

Hou Xuanyan deliberately said coldly: "Why did I hear that Zhou Wenwu is cruel by nature and has long surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and killed countless Han people. Are you following him a group of traitors who want to come and kill this governor?"

Li Er's pupils tightened, his shoulders raised, and his eyebrows were shaped like a Sichuan character. He blushed and said loudly: "Why did Lord Hou slander people out of thin air? Although the Zhou Dacheng family fell into trouble, when will he surrender to the Qing Dynasty? We are all famous Han men. If the lord does not intend to help, we will work with the Qing soldiers on our own, but please don't insult us."

The personal soldiers outside the door heard the argument inside, drew their swords and asked, "Sir?"

Hou Xuanyan laughed and said, "It's okay, you guys go back. I have a little misunderstanding with this little brother."

Looking at Li Er's shoulders arched high because of his anger, Hou Xuanyan put his hands on his shoulders with laughter and said, "I used it to test you just now. Now it is extraordinary. I have to act carefully, so don't take it to heart."

Li Eryu was still angry and suddenly heard these words, and blurted out in a daze, "What do you mean by sir?"

"I'm afraid you are a spy sent by the Qing soldiers, so I deliberately angered you and try your reaction. If you are really a spy, you can only defend me or panic after hearing my words. But you are angry, obviously not pretending. Now I believe in the identity you are talking about."

When Li Er heard this, he felt relieved and said in admiration: "I have heard that the adults are extremely intelligent and have a good reputation."

After Hou Xuanyan confirmed that he was not a spy, he began to face this force. Although they were weak, they were in the heart of the enemy. If they were used properly, they could be a surprise soldier. I just don’t know if they could survive outside the Jinling City surrounded by the enemy.

If Hou Xuanyan had a little more clear about history, he would not have had this concern. In fact, these people had experienced countless encirclements and suppressions and still survived tenaciously outside Jinling City. Even when Luke Dehun went to Jingzhou to deal with Dashun and the Ming coalition, they had fought Jinling, but unfortunately they were betrayed by the traitors and were defeated by Hong Chengchou.

Hou Xuanyan carefully asked about the situation in Qinglong Mountain and nodded secretly. He pointed indirectly and found out that Zhou Wenwu should be a useful talent.

"How are your food and weapons?"

Li Er showed a embarrassed expression and said, "To be honest, Qing Dogs go out of the city to plunder every now and then, and we dare not farm openly. We can only take advantage of the night to steal some food from nearby fields. It's a pity that the surrendered pigs stayed there and didn't sleep in the middle of the night. When we found out, we went to Qing Dog to report. Many brothers died at that time. They usually rely on wild fruits and vegetables in the mountains, and occasionally used wild game to fill their stomachs. Not to mention weapons, the better ones are farm tools, and the others do the wrong things are wooden sticks or bare-handed fists."

Hou Xuanyan sighed and said, "You have suffered so much. Unfortunately, the territory between us is the strongest defense of Qinggou. Even if I want to help you, I have no idea how to start."

Li Er looked stubborn and said, "Don't worry, sir. Although we have a hard time, we have been used to it for a long time. As long as we have one person, we will keep working with them to the end."

Hou Xuanyan paced back and forth, thinking in his mind how to try to protect these rebels in the occupied areas and let them perform the greatest miracle. After hearing Li Er's words, he said disapprovingly: "With your strength, constantly causing trouble for the clear dog is tantamount to hitting stones with eggs. They wish you to take the initiative to ask for battle. So, please send me a message to your leader Zhou Wenwu, saying that Hou Xuanyan gave him sixteen words to keep it in mind."

Li Er asked nervously with hope, "What sixteen words?"

"I retreat when the enemy advances, I disturb when the enemy is stationed, I attack when the enemy is tired, I attack when the enemy retreats, I chase when the enemy retreats." Hou Xuanyan finished word by word and asked, "Did you remember?"

Li Er nodded. He was indeed a clever and clever person, otherwise he would not have chosen to do such a dangerous task.

Hou Xuanyan looked down and saw that the short-striking black clothes on his body were scratched by thorns everywhere. It was painful to be washed by the rain, but Li Erhun seemed to be unaware of it. A sense of admiration arose in his heart. The enemy-behind rebels who have always been in the occupied areas were all the most difficult conditions. He picked up a short knife from the tent and handed it to him, and said, "I think you are young, you should be the kind of bare-handed one, right?"

Li Er said anxiously: "Sir, don't underestimate me. Although Li Er is young, he has killed three clear dogs."

"This knife is the Qi family's sword, which once drank the blood of Japanese slaves. Now the Tartars invaded my homeland, just like when Japanese pirates invaded the border. I handed this knife to you, hoping that you will not lose the reputation of the Qi family's sword."

Li Er's eyes were filled with tears, and he held the scabbard heavily, rubbing it and was reluctant to put it on his waist.
Chapter completed!