The sound of horse hooves faded away, and several figures emerged from the back of the slope near the camp, talking softly as they watched the bandits go away.
"These gang of thieves actually regard the thief as their father and are willing to be the lackeys of the Western thieves. I don't understand. I, the great people of the Song Dynasty, actually have bad people who have fallen to this point."
"Mr. Wang, isn't it normal for the same rice to be eaten by hundreds of people? There are good and bad people according to whether they are noble or low. In fact, let me tell you, there is no good or bad. It is just a word of profit; others want to take advantage of it.
Considering the morality of cause and effect, this group of people only care about the sages’ teachings of ‘taking it in a proper way’ when seeking profit.”
"There is some truth to it. May I ask, sir, should we take the next step now?"
Su Jin nodded and said: "Without further delay, the dynasty will lead people to guard the surrounding areas. From now on, everything done in the camp cannot be observed by others. Chief Wang immediately mobilized the remaining soldiers and coachmen to work quickly."
Everyone agreed and immediately took action.
…
In the early morning of the next day, before the dew on the blades of grass had dried, the large group of people set off and continued moving forward. The motorcade stretched for several miles as always, advancing slowly on the winding mountain road; at a glance, the team was no different from yesterday's motorcade.
There is no difference, but if someone is careful, they will definitely see some clues.
The drivers driving the livestock felt much more relaxed, the vehicles seemed much lighter, and although the entire team was still very long, it always felt like there were a lot of people missing. However, this seemed inconspicuous to outsiders.
From time to time, there would be sneaky little black spots on the mountain ridges on both sides. Su Jin and others knew that these were small and large cottages on the mountain that had discovered the whereabouts of their team. Each of these cottages had their own territory, and they passed through their territory.
Above, they were naturally keeping a close eye on them. Although they were salivating over the hundreds of large vehicles that were tightly covered by tarps, facing this huge team of more than 4,000 people, these small groups of bandits also
All he could do was sigh, without any intention of taking action.
Walking like this, the team's speed was astonishingly slow. After three days, the team finally walked out of the mountains. More than ten miles to the north, it was about to leave the mountain pass. After leaving the mountain pass, it was a flat loess road, leading straight to the nearest
Jiezhou City.
When the sun set in the west, Su Jin ordered to set up camp in a mountain col three miles away from the mountain pass. At midnight, the sound of horse hooves broke the silence, and more than ten horses galloped in. The officers and soldiers on duty hurried to meet him for questioning, but it was exactly
Zhao Hu returned from delivering the letter.
Su Jin calculated the time accurately and knew that Zhao Hu would definitely rush back tonight, so he did not fall asleep. He just lay in the tent with his clothes on and waited. When he heard that Ma Han had come to report, he quickly got up and lit the candle and ordered Zhao Hu to come and see him.
Zhao Hu was sweating profusely and his face was dusty as he entered the tent. Without saying a word, he picked up a pot of herbal tea on the small table and drank it. He wiped his mouth and said, "Master, I'm back."
Su Jin smiled and said, "Is everything going well?"
Zhao Hu said: "It's okay, I'll see Master Fan now."
Su Jin said happily: "What did Master Fan say?"
Zhao Hu said: "I can't explain clearly. I asked others to tell you that Lord Fan sent several generals to come with me."
Su Jin hurriedly asked: "Where is it? Please come in yet."
There was a thump of footsteps outside the tent, the curtain was lifted, and three officers in armor stepped in. The first one had a handsome face under the armor, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes. Although he had traveled a long distance, except for his armor and some facial features,
Apart from the dust, there was no trace of fatigue; what was striking was that there were two lines of tattoos with the word "prison" on his cheeks, which completely destroyed his handsome face and added a bit of toughness.
"Hello Mr. Su, Di Qing, who is a low-ranking official, is here to bother you." The man said loudly, clasping his fists and saluting.
Su Jin was greatly surprised and hurriedly clasped his fists in return. It turned out that this person was the famous Di Qing. Su Jin knew a little about this person's current situation. He was appreciated by Fan Zhongyan and had been promoted from an ordinary soldier to the commander of the Yanzhou Zhangwu Army.
He already has the rank of fifth-grade military attache.
"It turns out that Commander Di has arrived. I have heard for a long time that Commander Di is a great hero and his reputation shocks the northwest. My brothers have admired him for a long time. I didn't expect to be able to see him today. It is really an honor."
Su Jin was not being polite. At least most of his words were sincere. There were a lot of stories about Di Qing in later generations. Although most of them were fabricated, Di Qing was always regarded as a great hero in cartoons, movies and TV dramas.
The appearance of the image made Su Jin admire her greatly at that time. She didn't expect that she could actually see him alive, and her excitement was naturally revealed.
Di Qing didn't expect that he was so famous. Even the new top scholar who came to the capital to take up his post heard about his deeds. He was a little flattered and said with a cupped hand: "Your Excellency is so complimentary, how can Di Qing be so worthy?"
Su Jin quickly ordered people to bring futons, and everyone sat down one after another. He ordered people to serve tea and brought dry food for a few people to fill their stomachs first.
Di Qing felt good in his heart when he saw that Su Jin was not in a hurry to talk about things after meeting him. Instead, he considered that people and horses were tired after traveling all the way, so he prepared some food and tea to entertain Su Jin.
After eating and drinking, Di Qing patted his belly and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Su. Now that I have eaten my fill, let's talk about business." Feng, Di Qing was grateful. Mr. Fan had already known the letter sent to Yanzhou, and Mr. Fan was completely aware of it.
Agreeing with the Lord's proposal and highly praising the Lord's strategy, he ordered Beiji and two of his subordinates to come forward to assist the Lord. Fan Gong led five thousand elite generals and then came quietly, this time to let the Western thieves have a taste.
The feeling of being made into dumplings, avenging the enemy who was ambushed by the Shuichuan army."
Su Jin knew that Fan Zhongyan sent Di Qing to assist because he was afraid that he would not be able to direct the battle and that something would go wrong. Although Su Jin was confident that he could arrange it properly, he had Di Qing, who was experienced in actual combat, to assist him and ensure that nothing went wrong.
This also shows how seriously Fan Zhongyan attached importance to this matter.
"It's an honor for me to be praised by Lord Fan, but I don't know how to implement it and how to proceed? Can Lord Fan give me a clear explanation?"
Di Qing reached out and took out a piece of stacked paper from his arms and unfolded it under the light. It was densely marked with various place names and symbols. It turned out to be a military map.
Everyone gathered around the map, their eyes following Di Qing's fingers, and heard Di Qing say: "Mr. Su, this official road passes through eighty miles of mountain roads, and there is a mountain pass three miles ahead.
It is a flat loess plain, and more than 40 miles north of Shaanzhou is a mountain road. There is a place called Yingzui Cliff at the junction of the southwest of Jiezhou and the northwest of Shaanxi. It is the last place where the official road ends on the Yongxing Military Road.
Yamaguchi: What Master Fan means is that in order to prevent the Western Bandits' cavalry from having a chance to play, they must not fight on the plains, otherwise even two thousand cavalry will not be able to win, and even if they win, it will be a miserable victory."
Su Jin frowned as he stared at the map and said slowly: "This is not difficult. There is a large amount of food and grass supplies as bait, and I am not afraid that the Western thieves will not take the bait. If we follow Lord Fan's design, I think we can either stop here and wait for the enemy.
Come, encircle us at the mountain pass; or encircle us at Yingzuo Cliff."
Di Qing suddenly asked: "Where do you think it is appropriate?"
Seeing that Di Qing wanted to test himself, Su Jin smiled and said: "If we set up an ambush here, there would be one advantage and two disadvantages. The advantage is that it goes deep into the hinterland of the Yongxing Army. Even if the Western thieves flee, the border towns can send troops to pursue and intercept the Western thieves.
The chance of returning is very small; the disadvantage is that, on the one hand, if we wait for the Western bandits to arrive, a large group of people will have to
It is unreasonable to camp here and wait. This is unreasonable, and it is possible that the Western thieves will know the plan. Secondly, if the Western thieves go deep into the hinterland, they will be more careful. There are mountain roads on the retreat route, and they will definitely step up their efforts to inquire for information.
We have carefully planned our operations to send messages to the enemy, so I'm afraid they won't take the bait."
Di Qing clapped his hands and praised: "Master Su is indeed a versatile man in both civil and military affairs. His thorough analysis is so convincing that he is exactly the same as what you think."
Su Jin rolled his eyes and thought to himself: Are you praising me or yourself?
"So, I suggest that the best ambush location should be placed around Yingzui Cliff. The closer it is to the border, the easier it will be to attract the Western thieves to attack. The disadvantage is that there is no mountainous area after Yingzui Cliff, and the enemy's cavalry can easily escape.
I may have to put a lot of thought into the layout, and I don’t know much about the terrain there, so I don’t dare to make a hasty conclusion.”
Di Qing hurriedly said: "Look at the map, sir. The topography of Yingzui Cliff is marked on the map. Please see, the hook like an eagle's beak is the canyon of Yingzui Cliff. This is a natural canyon, so the valley is wide.
It’s narrow at both ends and wide in the middle, making it an excellent place to tie a pocket.”
Su Jin said: "How big is the inside of Yagu?"
Di Qing said: "It is more than a hundred feet wide, and thousands of cavalry can move freely inside. This is a disadvantage."
Su Jin's eyes lit up and he said: "That's not necessarily true. This is exactly the advantage. Otherwise, how would the Western thieves be willing to enter the cliff? How can we catch the turtle in the jar?"
Di Qing laughed and said: "I really accept my submission. Master Su forgives me for being disrespectful. I was just ordered to test Master Su's wisdom. Based on Master Su's words, I have no doubts about me anymore."
Su Jin chuckled and said, "Why is that? I'm just talking about it on paper. In actual combat, I need Commander Di to assist me in commanding."
Di Qing said: "I work hard in my humble position and never dare to neglect. The only difficulty is that although the place in the valley is wide, it is not enough for the Western thieves to take off their guard. They must not be willing to rush into the Yingzui Cliff Valley. The matter is difficult."
The place is right here. If the Western thieves refuse to enter the cliff, they will have to fight at the mouth of the cliff. By then, they may not be able to catch up, if they are determined to run away."
Su Jin laughed and said: "Leave this matter to me. Let's invite you to the urn. I just hope that Master Fan will not alert the Western bandits. If nothing unexpected happens, the Western bandits' troops have already entered the country. I hope no one will
Just disturb them."
Di Qing said with a smile: "Mr. Fan is a hundred times more considerate than your Excellency. Mr. Su, please be attentive and ensure that everything is done properly so that the Western thieves can have an unimpeded journey."
Su Jin laughed and said: "The best, let them be proud of themselves, the best is Li Yuanhao himself, let's settle it once and for all."
Although everyone knew that Su Jin was joking, they were full of expectations. The possibility of Yuan Hao coming was slim, but if he did come, it would be a good show.