Fenghou

Shopkeeper Wang's eyes widened, and his head immediately shook like a rattle, "There is no place to buy now. The small store's fine materials, coarse materials and dried alfalfa add up to only [-] tons, and I can't sell them all to you. I will give you five hundred loads at most."

Chen Qing took out six ingots of 50 taels of official silver and put them on the table, "300 taels of silver, I bought all three thousand taels, will you sell it?"

Shopkeeper Wang stared at Yinzi and blinked his small eyes, my dear, this is five times the price!

"Sell! The guest officer is so sincere, how can I not sell it? I don't know where the guest officer is going to send it? It's too far away."

"Not far, twenty miles away!" Chen Qing said lightly.

……

At night, shopkeeper Wang walked back and forth in front of the steps of the county government office, full of worries.

Today, all three thousand dans of fodder were sold out, and at a high price, he could earn at least a few dozen taels of silver, but shopkeeper Wang accidentally found an opportunity to make a fortune today.

Three thousand coins!He can never earn so much in his life.

As an insider who has been selling fodder for 20 years, who in Fengxiang Mansion would buy fodder?How much do you need to buy?He knew it clearly in his heart, but he sold [-] loads of fodder today, and the other party's demand for black beans should be to feed the horses.

The opponent had at least three or four hundred horses. Who could have so many horses, except Jin Bing, but would Jin Bing buy horse feed?

After much deliberation, there is only one possibility, that is, the [-] cavalrymen of the Song Army who are wanted by a reward of [-] guan are hiding in Linyou County, and most likely they are in Qilin Village.

The desire to make a fortune finally overwhelmed the conscience of Song people.

Shopkeeper Wang walked into the county government...

Li Boliang, the county magistrate, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you sure that the other party is the Song Army cavalry that is wanted for arrest?"

"The villain can't guarantee it, but when buying fodder for hundreds of horses at a time, besides them, I can't think of anyone else?"

"Maybe it's Yang Guo's rebel army? They are also hoarding fodder, which is normal!"

"Master, Yangguo and the others don't have any horses. What's the point of hoarding fodder? It's better to buy food if they have so much money. It can't be them."

Li Boliang cursed secretly in his heart, he could only reluctantly say: "I will send people to Qilin Village to investigate in two days, if it is really them, I will report to the higher authorities."

"There is also a bounty for the villain!"

Li Boliang gave him a cold look, "Don't worry! If it's true, you'll need a penny."

Chapter 21 Clearance

Li Boliang really had a headache. As a county magistrate, he certainly didn't want the Jurchens to come to Linyou County. It would not only be a disaster for the people, but also a disaster for their officials.

They surrendered to the Kingdom of Jin two years ago when Wanyan Loushi was in charge of Shaanxi, and the Song army came back. Sweeping through Guanzhong and massacring them wantonly, the governor of Fengxiang government lost his seal and fled in fright, making them local officials at a loss, it is best not to cause extra problems.

However, the shopkeeper of this forage store is busy, and he came to report that there are cavalrymen from the Song Army hiding in Linyou County. Isn't this just looking for trouble for him?

Du Jing, the aide, gave him advice and said: "If the county monarch really doesn't want to be troublesome, it's actually easy. Let the shopkeeper produce evidence, or ask him to write a guarantee. If it is not the cavalry of the Song Army he said, he must bear full responsibility. .”

Li Boliang wondered: "That being said, I'm afraid that if it's really that cavalry, the Jin people will pursue it later, and I'll be unable to bear it."

At this moment, a yamen servant rushed over, "Your Majesty, a golden soldier has arrived and has already entered the city!"

Li Boliang head 'hum! 'One sound, this is a big trouble!

……

At dawn the next day, an army of 200 people left the county seat and ran towards Qilin Village, followed by a thousand gold soldiers.

This golden army was still half Jurchen, half Han. The leader was Xiao Yantuo, a Khitan nobleman who had surrendered to Jurchen very early on.

This time, he was ordered to inspect the boundaries of Linyou County, and he planned to stay for two days before going back. He didn't expect to hear the news of the Song Army cavalry as soon as he arrived in the county.

Although it was not clear, Xiao Yantuo's intuition told Xiao Yantuo that apart from that cavalry, no one would buy [-] loads of fodder, nor would they raise cattle or mules.

Xiao Yantuo immediately sent people back to Fengxiang County to report to Wanyan Meili.

The person leading the troops at the front was County Wei Minwu, who commanded the two hundred soldiers in Linyou County and was responsible for maintaining local law and order.

Min Wu cursed shopkeeper Wang for being troublesome, but there was nothing he could do. They were ordered by the Jin soldiers to kill them if they disobeyed. He had to lead two hundred soldiers to run northward.

Jin Bing approached the canyon, and was immediately spotted by the sentinel at the canyon mouth. Three gunpowder arrows flew into the sky one after another, 'pop! 'It exploded in the air with a crisp sound.

Xiao Yantuo squinted his eyes, it turned out to be a gunpowder arrow, which is not something that the rebels can have, he immediately ordered: "Order the former army to speed up the mountain!"

At this time, more than [-] Song troops in the army village also quickly assembled. They were divided into eight teams and guarded the spiral mountain road up the mountain.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Chen Qing watched the situation in the valley. From a distance, he saw a team of more than [-] people running towards the mountain. The armor was still the leather armor of the Song Army, but there were [-] soldiers behind. It is the five-color flag of Tiefutu, and this is Wanyan Zongbi's army.

Chen Qing knew very well that this battle would come sooner or later, so he went to buy supplies, food and grass the next day after he arrived in the cottage, even if he was discovered by Jin Bing, he didn't care.

The soldiers brought bundles of crossbow arrows and soldier arrows, as well as more than 200 defensive bows.

Chen Qing pointed to a pile of wood again, "Saw them off completely, we'll need them later!"

They felled dozens of big trees yesterday to prepare firewood for the winter, and before they had time to saw them, they could be made into rolling logs.

Dozens of soldiers set up their saws and quickly sawed the wood, and soon there were dozens of three-foot-long logs...

Li Yuanqing, the lieutenant general, pointed to the corner below and suggested: "The humble officer leads a team of brothers to build a defensive point there to stop the enemy and slow down the speed of the enemy going up the mountain."

"What defense do you have?"

"Use a dirt bag!"

Chen Qing looked at the terrain carefully, and readily agreed. Yang Yuanqing immediately led the soldiers to run down carrying the mud bags, and built a mud bag wall at the last turning. He personally led fifty soldiers to build a wall with crossbow arrows and spears. the first line of defense.

……

Two hundred soldiers from Linyou County went up the mountain first, and they had the lowest status, followed by five hundred Han soldiers, while five hundred Jurchen soldiers rested at the foot of the mountain.

Tiantai Mountain is not high, with a vertical height of only 300 meters, but it spirals up the mountain, and it takes at least a dozen turns to reach the top of the mountain.

Two hundred soldiers held spears, bent down and walked up a little bit, not daring to take a breath. The five hundred Han soldiers behind them were holding shields, but their armor was still leather, which could not stop the powerful crossbow arrows.

Two hundred soldiers turned a corner, fifty steps above was the mudbag wall, and they had already entered the attack range of the Song army.

Chen Qing stared at the two hundred soldiers almost crawling in the mud, and ordered without mercy: "Soldiers shoot arrows!"

240 tall soldiers drew their bows for defending the city, with the tip of the arrow slanting upwards, and 240 arrows were shot at the same time. The three-foot-long arrows drew countless arcs, and rained down on the heads of the two hundred Han soldiers. shoot.

……

On the official road north of Fengxiang County, [-] Jurchen cavalry and [-] Khitan cavalry were rushing towards Linyou County. Famous among the Jurchen tribes, he served as the left guard in Taiyuan, but in order to avenge his father, he led the army to support Guanzhong.

Wanyan Huonu arrived in Fengxiang County yesterday, but just yesterday, Wanyan Meili finally confirmed the identity of the leader of the five hundred Song Army who attacked Qishan County, and it was the Song general Chen Qing who killed Wanyan Loushi.

There are three reasons for confirmation. First, some soldiers of the Han army heard that the opponent's general was called General Chen, and his surname was Chen.

Second, the chief general of the Song Army used an iron gun of Zhangba 镔, which was the same as the big iron gun that assassinated Wanyan Loushi. This is not a standard long gun, but a special weapon. I am afraid there are not many in the world.

But the most important thing is the third reason. Jurchen centurion Wanyan Wuhuai recognized the horse that General Song was riding, which was Wanyan Loushi's white dragon horse.

As soon as General Song was confirmed to be Chen Qing, Wanyan Huonu arrived.

At the same time, Wanyan Meili received an eagle letter from Xiao Yantuo from Linyou County, and found a Song Army cavalry in Linyou County, which was highly suspected of attacking the Song Army in Qishan County.

Wanyan Huo Nu barely rested, and immediately led [-] cavalry to Linyou County.

Even Jin Bing's coach Wanyan Zongbi was alarmed by this news, and he rushed to Fengxiang overnight with five hundred soldiers.

……

In just half a day, the 500 Han soldiers were forced to attack four times by the Jurchen soldiers with sharp axes, and more than [-] people were killed in battle.

The combat effectiveness of the Han army was very unbearable. They attacked four times without even breaking through the first line of defense.

In fact, it is quite normal. They had no fighting power when they were in the Song army. When the Jin soldiers came, they surrendered and became Jin soldiers. They were discriminated against in terms of equipment and treatment. They were regarded as military slaves by the Jurchens. Desperately?

The Song army had fewer than ten casualties, almost all of whom were shot by the arrows, and one of them was killed. He fell off the cliff and died after being shot by the arrows.

"Meng'an, do you want to continue the attack?" A Jurchen centurion asked the general Xiao Yantuo.

Xiao Yantuo shook his head, he could see that the terrain was very unfavorable for the attack, he only had [-] Jurchen soldiers under his command, if he attacked by force, not only would he not be able to attack, but he would also lose hundreds of people.

"I have already reported to Chief Wan, wait for news from Chief Wan!"

Speaking of this, he said to the county Wei Minwu: "Find me the nearby villagers. I want to know, besides this road, is there any other way up the mountain?"

Half an hour later, Chen Qing got the news from the sentry at Taniguchi that the Jurchens had exited Taniguchi and retreated towards the county seat.

He immediately ordered the soldiers to go down the mountain to clean up the corpses, collect arrows and weapons.

All the soldiers knew very well that Jin Bing would never be reconciled to a disastrous defeat, and would definitely make a comeback, and even attack on a large scale.

All soldiers are engaged in active preparations.

Chen Qing found the old man Yang San.

"Old man Yang, if you can help me find a guide who is familiar with the mountain roads, I will reward you a lot!"

"General Chen, you are being polite. Money is not important. Why don't you let my son be your guide? He is a hunter and knows the road conditions in the mountains like the back of his hand."

Chen Qing was overjoyed and thanked repeatedly, "Thank you, old man!"

Yang San pointed to the northeast corner and said: "There is a trail leading to the foot of the mountain. Most people don't know it. I'm worried that Jin Bing will know this trail if he finds a local to lead the way. You should be careful!"

Chen Qing attached great importance to this information, and he quickly asked Yang Hua to take a few brothers to follow Yang San down the small path to evaluate the impact of this small path on the defense.

At dusk, Lieutenant General Yang Yuanqing led [-] soldiers back from logging. They dragged hundreds of logs with ropes. The soldiers lit torches and sawed the logs overnight.

Facts have proved that rolling logs are a sharp weapon for ramp defense. Today at least half of the enemy soldiers were killed by rolling logs. They need to prepare thousands of rolling logs.

It was already late at night, and the night was very cold to the point of freezing, but the soldiers were still busy preparing for the battle. Most of the wood had been sawed, and thousands of mud bags were packed. Every soldier was exhausted, but he still gritted his teeth persevere.

Chen Qing checked the defensive preparations on the mountainside of the northeast path. This path could indeed attack the Song army from behind. In order to close this loophole, the soldiers thought of a way.

The mountainside of the trail has been leveled. This is the most dangerous part of the trail. There is a seven-foot-high steep slope. After leveling the top of the steep slope, layers of sandbags are piled up, so that the steep slope extends to a height of five feet. , completely cut off the possibility of Jin Bing climbing upwards.

Looking at the mudbag wall, Chen Qing frowned and asked, "What would happen if the enemy pierced the mudbag with a spear?"

The head of the capital, Yang Hua, smiled and said, "Don't worry, general. When the mud and water are mixed together, it will freeze at dawn. Even if the spear pierces the bag, the mud and ice will not collapse. Unless they prepare a ladder, the brothers above will also Overturn the ladder."

"freeze!"

Chen Qing's eyes lit up, icing can make the road up the mountain very slippery, this is a good way.

At this time, a soldier shouted from above: "General, old man Yang has brought his son and important news."

"I'm going over here!"

Chen Qing hurriedly returned to the military village...

Chapter 22 Bloody Battle

Old man Yang's son is called Yang Dazhi, a bold man in his thirties, of medium build, but very strong, with explosive muscles all over his body, like a leopard.

Yang Dazhi is the most famous hunter in a radius of tens of miles. He has followed his father into the mountains to hunt since he was 14 years old. He has been hunting for 20 years and knows all kinds of situations in the mountains like the back of his hand.

"The county captain came to our village this afternoon, and it happened that I was not at home. He found two other hunters and asked to guide Jin Bing, but the two hunters refused to guide Jin Bing, so the county captain took their family members away."

The information brought by Yang Dazhi is very important, which means that the Jurchen cavalry has not withdrawn, and it is very likely that the Jurchen reinforcements are coming to Linyou County.

Chen Qing asked again: "If we want to retreat to Jingyuan Road, is it feasible at this time?"

Yang Dazhi nodded with a smile and said, "It's feasible at the moment, but it will start to snow in half a month. It's okay if the snow isn't too heavy, but I'm afraid of a blizzard, and the road will definitely be closed."

"Can the horses pass?"

Yang Dazhi showed a look of embarrassment, "It can be said that this is completely impossible. There are three roads to climb over rocks, and there are more than one place. The horses will definitely not be able to pass."

Chen Qing thought for a while and then asked: "Is there such a possibility? For example, in a valley or an open area, we can take our horses and hide in the mountains, and return to the military camp after it snows."

Yang Dazhi smiled wryly and said: "There are two places to hide, but I can tell the general that these two places are not difficult to find. Almost all hunters know that if the Song Army's horses disappear, then the Jurchens will Know where the general is."

"I understand!"

Chen Qing stood up and asked Yang Dazhi to rest. He then ordered all the soldiers to stop working and rest...

At daybreak, Wanyan Huonu led an army of [-] to Linyou County. The [-] cavalry were overwhelming and murderous. Xiao Yantuo had already been waiting at the city gate to greet him. !"

"How is the situation of the Song army?" Wanyan Huo Nu asked coldly.

"Reporting to Mr. Wan, they are in the Qilin Army Village. Based on various intelligence analysis, it should be them. The humble subordinates are monitoring the valley. They have not left yet."

"How is the combat effectiveness?"

"Yesterday, I attacked Qilinzhai tentatively and lost more than [-] Han troops. The opponent is well-trained and a strong enemy!"

Xiao Yantuo's attitude made Wanyan Huonu very satisfied, he said lightly: "The emperor has decreed that anyone who captures this person alive or sacrifices his head will be sealed off ten thousand households, General Xiao, this is your chance!"

Xiao Yantuo felt terrified in his heart, knowing that he had to bet on it with all his strength today.