In the evening, Ruan Ping'an, who went to Luoyan Valley, returned safely, bringing back more than thirty sets of armor and equipment as well as news that shocked the leaders of Beishan Dazhai. In the Juyi Hall, the leaders were happily choosing armors.
While putting on the equipment, they also heard what Ruan Ping reported to the leader of the village, Bao Meng, about what they had seen in Luoyan Valley Village.
"Brother, on this trip to Luoyan Valley Village, I was so shocked that my jaw dropped. Just under our noses, Luoyan Valley Village has undergone incredible changes. I couldn't believe my eyes.
.It’s so spectacular, so powerful. This group of people is so scary.”
"Fourth, what on earth did you see? Are you so amazed?" Bao Meng asked in shock.
"Brother, their defense has been fully formed. There are four lines of defense from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, and they have built solid fortifications and arrow towers. That's all. We have all been to Luoyan Valley Village, and it is just a small camp on the mountainside. But
If brother were to go there now, he would definitely be shocked. The current Luoyan Valley Dazhai is three to four times larger than before. The walls are all made of rammed earth, which is more than ten feet high, and there are solid facilities such as arrow towers and turrets. Where is it still?
The former mountain stronghold is now simply an impregnable pass city. In my estimation, even if we attack the vicinity of the stronghold now, it would be impossible to break into the stronghold wall unless we have a formal attack force possessed by officers and soldiers outside the mountain.
We must have the city's weapons and ten times their manpower, otherwise we will never succeed."
As Ruan Ping spoke, he took the pen and paper on the desk to draw graphics, and showed the layout of Luoyan Valley Village to Bao Meng and others.
"Not to mention the inside of the cottage. The new cottage Juyi Hall is taller than the one in our Beishan Dazhai. It is plastered white like a castle. The layout inside is neat and tidy, and the ground is paved with gravel.
It's like new. It's hard to imagine that in just a few months, they actually did so much. I saw the people, men, women, old and young, transporting stones and wood to build houses. In such a cold weather, they were all very energetic.
, it’s really hard to imagine.”
Bao Meng frowned and said nothing, looking at the simple outline of a huge Juyi Hall and the roads and layout of the village presented in Ruan Ping's pen, he didn't know what he felt in his heart.
"Is it true what they said that everyone is equipped with armor and sharp blades? Also, have you seen their supply warehouse? Are they sufficient in food and grass supplies?"
"Brother, I saw them all. The guards at the various fortifications I passed up the mountain when I went there were all fully armed, wearing armor and equipped with sharp blades. The people on the arrow towers all held bows and crossbows. When I arrived at the mountain stronghold,
When we were in the village, several teams of soldiers and horses happened to transport bluestone and trees into the village. They were all wearing standard armor. When I took these armors, I also saw the supplies in several of their warehouses. Not only were there mountains of grain and grass, but I
We also saw dozens of bundles of iron-tipped triangular arrows. What they said was not true at all. Their supplies were enough to last them for a long time. We thought they would starve to death and be trapped in the mountains before, but now it seems that is completely true.
Misjudgment." Ruan Ping sighed.
Bao Meng sat quietly on the chair. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the confirmed news and the situation described by Ruan Ping.
"I was wondering, where did they get these supplies? The armor and weapons may have been robbed from the adventure in Qingtai Town. But where did these food supplies come from? Zuo Zongdao told me, he only gave
The small amount of food they had was only enough to feed a few hundred people this month. More than a thousand people were sheltered in Luoyan Valley, and the food was not enough for them to eat for seven or eight days. However, after several months, not only did they not starve to death
, but there is still enough food to last for a long time, this is really strange." Bao Meng pondered.
"Yeah, I'm also very strange. I always feel weird. Could it be that they have some connection with the outside world? Someone secretly sends them food? Also, things in Qingtai Town are also strange. How do they know about Qingtai?
Was there any supplies and equipment being transported through the town? Why didn't we get any information? We didn't find out until after the action was taken, and we thought it was Zuo Zongdao's people who did it. Brother, you said they are new here, and they have more spies outside the mountain than we do.
Isn’t it strange that the news about the cottage is still well-informed?” Ruan Ping said.
Bao Meng was puzzled for a while, then waved his hands and said: "Never mind, these things will be answered sooner or later. How do you think their manpower combat capabilities are? After all, they only have three hundred people. I am still a little worried about Zuo Zongdao this time."
Ruan Ping showed a little shame on his face and seemed to be hesitating.
Bao Meng frowned and said: "What? You didn't observe these? It's no wonder. After all, I went in a hurry and couldn't see anything for a while."
Ruan Ping shook his head and said: "No, brother, I'm... I'm too embarrassed to say it. Before we came back in the evening, we passed by their school grounds, and their soldiers and horses were practicing. The formation was really impressive. I'll take it with me.
The eighteen subordinates know it, and they are all selected by me. But...but...ah! I won't mention it anymore."
"What? Is there something that can't be mentioned? If you don't say it in the middle of the sentence, what's the point?" Bao Meng shouted.
Ruan Ping gritted his teeth and said: "That's all, I've lost face anyway, so I don't have anything to worry about. The village leader Gao Da suggested that we have a hand-to-hand test, and of course I didn't want to show weakness. So I selected ten people to compete with them. But they only
Six people were sent out, and...and all of them were women. It is said that they were female guards under Gao Muqing."
"What? Send women out to fight us? Isn't this looking down on us?" Ma Yun, the leader of the second village, interjected from the side.
Ruan Ping sighed and said: "But it was ten against six, and the opponent was still a woman. We all lost miserably. I was so ashamed."
"What? Ten against six and you still lose? This is a competition on flat ground, and they have no advantage at all. Could it be that those six women are martial arts masters?" Bao Meng asked in shock.
"What kind of martial arts masters are there? Their skills are just ordinary. They can dodge and move more quickly than ordinary people. But they are divided into two groups of three, each holding long and short weapons and bows and arrows. They seem to have a set of skills.
It seemed like a specialized combat method. All ten of my men were hit by them in a short time. Fortunately, it was a competition, using headless arrows and swords and guns, otherwise all ten of them would be dead. What's even more sinister is,
Some of them would rather take a knife to protect others. In the end, all ten of us were gone, and there were only two of them left. Evil, very evil." Ruan Ping's expression was full of regret, and the competition not long ago really made him sad.
He was impressed.
Bao Meng frowned and remained silent. He understood something. The people in Luoyan Valley were by no means what he had imagined before. They were well-organized soldiers and horses with high morale. Moreover, it was obvious that with the help of capable people, the soldiers could fight effectively.
Although he did not witness the competition with his own eyes, from Ruan Ping's description, he also realized that the opponent used cooperative fighting skills to defeat his own ten masters.
Bao Meng's ancestor was also a military general in the Great Shu Kingdom. Although he was reduced to a state that destroyed the country and turned into a bandit, he was not completely without origins and background. Passed down from his family, there are also some inheritance and teachings on the method of leading an army, and Bao Meng naturally learned it from his ancestors.
Some professors. Therefore, after listening to what Ruan Ping said, Bao Meng naturally understood that someone was teaching the soldiers and horses in Luoyan Valley how to train. Combined with the construction of these defensive facilities in the stronghold, he realized that there must be capable people in that stronghold.
People lead.
Although Gao Muqing is a female, Bao Meng believes that she is the daughter of Gao Lao, the leader of the Guishan Island village. She may have learned a lot from Gao Lao, so it cannot be ruled out that Gao Muqing is a capable person. But Gao Muqing took over.
After Guishan Island, it led to the demise of Guishan Island Village. This matter has already caused shock in the world's green forest roads. This matter was mentioned at the last Funiu Mountain Village Conference. Some people thought that it was Gao Muqing's incompetence that led to the destruction of Guishan Island.
Therefore, it is difficult to believe that Gao Muqing is the person who changed the appearance of Luoyan Valley Village in a short period of time. So, who is this person? For some reason, the face of Military Advisor Fang appeared in Bao Meng's mind.
"We can't keep these people, brother. After this incident, we must eradicate them no matter what. If they are left in Luoyan Valley, they will be crouching tigers beside us, and we will not be able to sleep peacefully. Look at what they look like now, if
In time, Luoyan Valley will be a nail driven into our side." Ruan Ping's words interrupted Bao Meng's thoughts.
Bao Meng nodded solemnly and said: "What the fourth brother said is true. This group of people must not be allowed to stay. If they do not surrender, they must be completely eliminated to avoid future troubles."
…
In two days, Lin Jue, Beishan Dazhai Bao Meng and others formulated several attack plans and considered various possible situations. Of course, most of these plans were proposed by Lin Jue, and then he and others
Bao Meng and others discussed it together.
Although this meeting on Laojun Mountain was an excellent opportunity to kill Zuo Zongdao, it was obviously not an easy task. It is said that Zuo Zongdao has 500 elite men who have been loyal to him for a long time. These people
Wearing the best equipment, equipped with the sharpest weapons and crossbows, they followed Zuo Zongdao almost every step of the way. These five hundred people would definitely follow this meeting at Laojun Mountain. In addition, Laojunshan
Zuo Zongdao still has more than 400 men stationed there, plus other men who may be mobilized for protection. It is possible that the opponent's troops will reach 1,300 or 400.
With so many people protecting him, it would be difficult to take action against Zuo Zongdao. What's more, when Bao Meng went to meet Zuo Zongdao, it would be impossible for him to bring all the people around to protect him. Wouldn't that arouse Zuo Zongdao's suspicion?
Therefore, the most feasible way is that when meeting Zuo Zongdao, there must not be many people around, and that is the best time to take action. But at the same time, the number of people who can enter the meeting scene must be limited. If
If he fails, they will all die inside. Because of this, Bao Meng has been struggling with this. He is worried that if he fails, he may be killed by Zuo Zongdao's personality on the spot. Therefore, he is hesitant about the assassination method proposed by Lin Jue during the meeting.
, refused to agree.
In desperation, Lin Jue had no choice but to consider another method. That was to wait for Zuo Zongdao to arrive at Laojun Mountain, send all his troops and horses to surround Laojun Mountain, use the most clumsy method to attack Laojun Mountain, and kill Zuo Zongdao and all his troops.
eradicate.
Of course, this method is undoubtedly a bad idea in Lin Jue's opinion, because in this way, he loses the initiative to capture the thief first and is forced to attack an opponent with an equal number of people. The outcome is difficult to predict. Even if two families
Together, the total manpower that the two families can mobilize is only 1,500 or 600 people. The number of people Zuo Zongdao brought to Laojun Mountain is already quite large. How easy is it to attack? Moreover, the other side has reinforcements. If they cannot win quickly, the other side will
Once the reinforcements from Dazhai arrive for rescue, everything will be over. Therefore, this strategy is very risky and the number of casualties it will cause is unpredictable.
Of course, Lin Jue has a third way, which is to ambush Zuo Zongdao. He is to ambush soldiers and horses on the road before Zuo Zongdao reaches Laojun Mountain. When Zuo Zongdao and his men arrive, they can launch a surprise attack, which may work. But this strategy
There are also obvious drawbacks, that is, it requires a large number of manpower to go deep into the opponent's territory to set up an ambush without anyone noticing, which is difficult to achieve. Once the news leaks out, the operation will fail before it starts, and Zuo Zongdao will immediately lead the attack.
If all the troops and horses counterattack, the result will be even more disastrous. This is the next best strategy.
Faced with these three strategies, Lin Jue, Bao Meng and others argued and discussed for two days, but finally could not decide. Lin Jue insisted on using the first one, but Bao Meng was obviously a little scared, and he did not decide.
There was no guarantee that Zuo Zongdao could be killed in one fell swoop. Therefore, Bao Meng insisted on using the second strategy, which was to besiege the top of the mountain and attack and kill him directly. The two sides were in dispute and it was difficult to make a decision. However, the meeting at Laojun Mountain, which was far away from Zuo Zongdao and Bao Meng,
There are only three days left.
At this anxious time, a piece of bad news was sent to Bao Meng's village. It was news sent from Zuo Zongdao's Shirenshan Village. The letter sent by Zuo Zongdao gave up the meeting at Laojun Mountain.
, saying that his wife was sick and he could not leave the stronghold. Therefore, Bao Meng was going to meet at the main stronghold on the main peak of Shiren Mountain and sign a joint covenant with him in his stronghold.
When the news came, Bao Meng was thrown into chaos. His first feeling was that the news had been leaked, and Zuo Zongdao was trying to lure him to the Shiren Mountain stronghold. Once he went there, he would kill him. Many of them would be killed.
The leaders also agreed with Bao Meng's judgment. There was obviously another reason for Zuo Zongdao's sudden change of heart. It seemed that he must have gotten some news.
Lin Jue did not expect that things would suddenly turn out like this. In this case, not only would Bao Meng be unable to abide by the alliance agreement, he might even turn his back and use himself to please Zuo Zongdao. The situation suddenly became critical and tense.
But Lin Jue calmed down quickly. He analyzed the situation carefully and came to the opposite conclusion. He went to Bao Meng to discuss it, but Bao Meng actually avoided seeing him. In desperation, Lin Jue found Ruan, the leader of the fourth village.
Ping. Lin Jue could tell that Ruan Ping, Bao Meng's subordinate, had some brains and was trusted by Bao Meng. With Ruan Ping's power, he might be able to convince Bao Meng.
On a cold night, Ruan Ping came to Lin Jue's residence as scheduled. He didn't want to come because Bao Meng and others had already begun to discuss behind Lin Jue's back how to tear up the agreement and how to explain to Zuo Zongdao and eliminate Zuo Zongdao's suspicion.
They even wanted to donate the materials and equipment owned by Luoyan Valley Dazhai to Zuo Zongdao in order to calm down the anger that Zuo Zongdao might notice. But Ruan Ping had a good impression of Lin Jue, and he felt that even if he wanted to kill
If you don't know Lin Jue, there's no harm in coming to see him yourself.
Beside the brazier, Lin Jue and Ruan Ping drank a few glasses of wine with a plate of cold dishes. Lin Jue said: "Master of the fourth village, I'm afraid the master of your big village has begun to regret it. I went to see him today, and he said
You can’t see me anymore. The next step is to kill my head and destroy my Luoyan Valley Village to appease Zuo Zongdao’s anger."
Ruan Ping was surprised by Lin Jue's keenness, but he could not tell the truth. He only said: "Commander Fang is overly worried. The leader of the village is indeed a little anxious, but it is not that much. He is actively thinking of countermeasures."
Lin Jue chuckled and said: "The leader of Dazhai is convinced that the news has been leaked, and Zuo Zongdao has taken precautions, right? If this is really the case, I can only say that your worries are unfounded. Before the enemy is in chaos, you yourself will be in chaos.
A major event that allowed your Beishan Dazhai to dominate Funiu Mountain was ruined because of suspicion and fear. You will definitely regret it in the future."
Ruan Ping said: "Don't Commander Fang feel that it is meaningless to talk about this now? If Zuo Zongdao knows about the alliance between you and me, if he has any more ideas, isn't he seeking death? Hey, this is a good thing, I admit it.
I strongly agree with this point. But now, there is no need to mention it."
Lin Jue sighed: "I'm surprised that Ruan Zongdao actually thinks so. Doesn't Ruan Zhaizhu think this is just to scare him? In my opinion, there is no sign that Zuo Zongdao got the news.
Zuo Zongdao changed the location. Perhaps as he said in his letter, his wife was sick and he could not leave."
Ruan Ping frowned and said: "Commander Fang, you should save your energy. This statement is not credible."
Lin Jue said: "Then Chief Ruan told me, how can you prove that the news must have been leaked?"
Ruan Ping said: "Isn't it enough just for him to suddenly change his mind?"
Lin Jue smiled and said: "This reason is not enough. It's because I have a ghost in my heart, so I feel that the grass and trees are in chaos. It's extremely ridiculous."
Ruan Ping said: "You have no reason to prove that it was not caused by the leak of the news."
Lin Jue shook his head and said: "I don't have it, but I have a brain and I can analyze it."
Ruan Ping said: "Analysis? I would like to hear the details."
Ruan Ping actually had some doubts in his heart. After all, it was just a suspicion caused by a letter. It seemed a bit hasty to draw a conclusion so far. It was only out of caution that he agreed with Bao Meng's judgment. But he had always wanted to confirm this.
He wanted to find evidence that could convince him. After all, everything was business as usual, so why did this happen suddenly? It was puzzling. Therefore, he was willing to listen to Lin Jue's explanation.
Lin Jue drank a cup of the home-made wine in Sour Village and said quietly: "Master Ruan Village, news always leaks because someone leaks it. Only a dozen leaders of Guishan Village and me know about the alliance between you and me.
We have not even begun to make a battle plan, let alone issue an order to mobilize troops. If it is really leaked, it can only be someone from your side or one of us who knows about it. If so, who do you think leaked it?
information?"
Ruan Ping frowned and thought for a while and said: "I can guarantee that the people on our side who know this will never leak it. These are old brothers for many years, and no one will have anything to do with Zuo Zongdao. Besides, that day
The leader of the stronghold has issued a strict order. We have been discussing the battle strategy in one place for the past two days, and no one has left. I have also conducted a thorough inspection of the stronghold. There are many people in each team under my jurisdiction, and there is no record of anyone leaving secretly.
So I dare to assert that it was not leaked from our side."
Lin Jue said: "The implication is that we leaked it? But this is even more impossible. We people in Luoyan Valley have been deeply poisoned by Zuo Zongdao. We all want to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin. It is impossible to inform him.
.Besides, the leader of my village will definitely control this matter within a very small scope. You have confidence in your brothers, and I also have confidence in mine."
Ruan Ping frowned and said, "So it's like seeing a ghost."
Lin Jue waved his hand and said: "Forget it, let's not talk about this for now. Let's think about it from another aspect. Let me ask you, if the leader of Ruan Village is Zuo Zongdao, what will you do when you learn that our alliance is going to be detrimental to him?
Do?"
Ruan Ping thought for a while and said: "I will definitely not tolerate it and will definitely take revenge. Zuo Zongdao is not someone to be trifled with, and he will never swallow his anger. He will remain calm and use the information he knows to set a trap.
, just like what the leader of the village was worried about. Lure us there and then catch them all."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Do you think he will remain calm and won't attack directly with a large number of troops?"
Ruan Ping said: "Of course not. He is in the dark and we are in the open. How can he mobilize a large number of troops to attack? Naturally, it is better to set up a trap and a trick."
Lin Jue nodded and said: "I agree, this is the best way to get revenge. In fact, Zuo Zongdao did not mobilize people to attack us, so we can only think that he has set a trap in his lair waiting for us to enter.
Is it?"
Ruan Ping said: "Of course."
Lin Jue said: "But, do you think we have been frightened now?"
Ruan Ping asked in confusion: "What do you mean by this?"
Lin Jue said: "After we received his letter, we immediately noticed something was wrong. Is this Zuo Zongdao trying to scare the snake?"
Ruan Ping frowned and said: "This... naturally counts."
Lin Jue said in a deep voice: "However, if Zuo Zongdao is such a shrewd person, he wants to lead us into a trap and catch us all, so why would he do such a shocking thing?"
"This..." Ruan Ping realized something was wrong.
Lin Jue said quietly: "If I were Zuo Zongdao, and if I decided to hide the fact that I already know the inside story, hoping to set up a trap to catch all my opponents, why would I need to change the meeting place and give a reason that you don't believe. This
Isn't it just to scare the snake? Once you have doubts, how can you go to the appointment? Isn't it contradictory to do so? "
"..." Ruan Ping frowned and thought.
"The correct approach should be like this: I pretend not to know anything and still go to the appointment as planned, but I will make secret preparations and set an ambush on Laojun Mountain. Only in this way will you have no doubts.
You caught them all in one fell swoop when you were unprepared. This is called taking advantage of the situation, and it is the best strategy. Why should you be so stupid as to arouse our suspicion? Chief Ruan, is this true?"
Ruan Ping stood up suddenly and looked at Lin Jue blankly, with a smile on his face.
