Han Shizu

Chapter 1656 Mingsha Bandit

The Helan Mountains are more than [-] miles long, from north to south, there are many mountains, from rapid to slow, from high to low, like a group of horses galloping all the way south.

Along the foothills of Helan Mountain, there are dense gaps and canyons, connecting tens of miles from east to west, to defend Lingzhou and the Yellow River Hetao. The government has set up more than a dozen checkpoints and fortresses at the gap of Helan Mountain, many of which are strong and dangerous. An important stronghold and support in the east and west of Lanshan.

More than two hundred miles to the northwest of Lingzhou, there is another huge valley called Luobao Grand Canyon. Although the terrain is steep and dangerous, it is an important way to connect the east and west of Helan Mountain.

However, it is only five layers of mountains away from the Luobao Grand Canyon, in a remote valley, there is a sneaky team stationed in it.

In the Helan Mountains in late autumn, the forests are all dyed, withered and yellow, and the deep and winding trails are full of dead branches and weeds. The air became thicker, until it reached the depths, and after crossing a mountain pass, it suddenly became clear.

A flat valley is located in the middle, which is in the shape of a gourd as a whole. It occupies a small area, but it is extremely hidden. Even in the autumn when the vegetation is sparse, the mountain walls that spread out like wings, combined with the thick mist, also make this nameless valley deep. deeply hidden.

Everywhere in the valley, there are obvious traces of human activities. On the flat ground, a fence divides it into two sections. According to the terrain and the mountain, two rows of more than a dozen wooden huts are built. At the same time, there are several mouths on the mountain wall. In a natural cave, there is a faint fire coming from inside, and there are simple earth steps leading to the depth of the cave outside.

Obviously, this is a camp, and the old buildings bear the traces of time. Although the wooden huts are simple, everything seems to be in order.This is the "Singing Sand Bandit" that the Northwest government and Wu Desi tried their best to track down.

The climate is cold in late autumn, but even cooler is the atmosphere in the valley, which is a little gloomy and depressing.There are only a few guards outside, who seem to be careless. The cool wind blows through the valley, making them shiver, and they keep moving to keep out the cold.

However, no matter what, it is surprising that such a relatively complete lair of bandits exists in the Helan Mountains, almost under the noses of the officers and soldiers.

There is a cave in the cave, and the space is large enough to store soldiers and store grain. Except for a few tunnels with traces of artificial carvings, the rest are naturally formed. Compared with the outdoor valley, it is warmer.

A row of pine lamps are sparsely inserted between the walls, illuminating the narrow corridor, which is dark and unclear, and the depth of the cave is deeper and darker, as if some secret is hidden.

Probe inside along the way, go around a few times, you can find a huge space, although it is empty, but there are many things, it looks very complete, there are tables and chairs, like a conference hall, there are guards, and there is a fire around, There are several tiger flags on the wall, and dozens of knives, guns, swords and axes are placed on the two rows of weapon racks.

At this time, the cave hall seemed to be in a mess. Hundreds of people broke through the guards and gathered together, shouting loudly.The leader was a burly man with a face different from that of the Han people.

However, he speaks Chinese very fluently, but the accent inevitably smells a bit strange. He is wearing a woolen jacket and a felt hat, with thick hair, a bearded face, thick facial lines, and a fierce look. That is the aura that has been formed after years of walking on the tip of the knife and the trials of life and death.

His name is Gan Cheng, and he is a remnant descendant of the Uyghurs in Ganzhou. His father was originally a Uyghur nobleman. When Wang Shi went west to conquer Hexi, he destroyed the country and family. In the northwest region, they fought against the imperial court and made a living by plundering, and then gradually became horse bandits.

In the 11th year of Kaibao, Gan Cheng's father was arrested by the government army during a bandit suppression operation organized by the government army in Hexi, and taken to Lingzhou.

Gan Cheng was only in his twenties at that time, the hatred of the country and the family aroused the heart of vengeance, so he took in some of his father's former troops, and continued to be active in the Gobi desert in Hexi, looting everywhere, opposing the government, and continued to grow. , with more than 500 troops under his command.

Of course, if the power is strong, it will inevitably attract the attention of the government. Especially after Zhao Wang Liu Fang took command of the northwest, he stepped up the attack on the Hexi bandits.With ups and downs in recent years, he has gradually become a real horse bandit. As for the ambition of "resisting the Han Dynasty and restoring the country" inherited from his father, it has completely become a mirage-like extravagant hope.

Inside the cave, dozens of people of various colors surrounded Gan Cheng, while Gan Cheng, wielding a scimitar, loudly shouted at a middle-aged scribe on the stone steps: "Call out Lu! Let's confess that we are all heroes in Hexi, licking blood on the tip of our knives, we would rather deal with the officers and soldiers than hide in this gutter like snakes, rats and ants!"

When Gan Cheng finished speaking, there was a lot of echoing and heckling.

The middle-aged scribe on the stage was thin, dark complexioned, with a three-strand beard, holding a cattail fan in his hand, like a dog-headed military adviser.

He was originally a shrewd person, but facing such a situation at this time, he couldn't help but feel a lot of pressure when he saw the gangsters who were about to fry the pot.

Especially Gan Cheng, who is a character who kills people without blinking an eye, and is less reasonable. The cattail fan can't fan the cold sweat on his forehead, so the scribe can only try his best to comfort him: "Boss Gan, brothers, please be calm, my leader is coming out of the mountain Do business, choose a day to return, and then I will give you an explanation!"

"It's another set of rhetoric, really fooling me into being a three-year-old child? That Lu can go out of the mountain to enjoy himself, why should we stay in the mountain to suffer!" Gan Cheng complained immediately: "We are trapped here , it has been almost half a year, and being able to endure until now is already giving Lu Nan face.

It was agreed at the beginning, to work together, just cooperate, and temporarily obey his orders, we are not his subordinates, let alone annex us.

Now, don't give me those perfunctory words, either let the surname Lu come out and give an explanation, or open the warehouse and divide up the treasures and food, I'll wait until I get out of the mountain! "

Hearing his words, the scribe's expression changed immediately. He knew that these bandits had extremely poor discipline and almost worn out their patience, so they really dared to engage in internal strife.

Facing Gan Cheng's fierce gaze, he hastened to persuade him: "Boss Gan, you must not rush out of the mountain, the situation in the entire Northwest is tense right now, the officers and soldiers attacked from all directions to wipe out all heroes, and the heroes in the desert next door suffered heavy casualties.

The matter of the Black Khan mission has also been noticed by the government, and the search is being stepped up. It is too dangerous outside. My family's leader came out of the mountain to find out the situation for everyone! "

"The case of the mission, that's your job to call sand bandits, what has it got to do with us?" Gan Cheng sneered twice when he heard this.

"Boss Gan's words are too far-fetched. Now we are in the same boat. We should help each other and tide over the difficulties together. Please be patient and wait for the rumor to pass..."

"Stop talking!" Hearing the tireless reassurance from the scribes, Gan Cheng not only did not stop, but became more resolute and arrogant, "Lead me to the warehouse immediately, or don't blame me for being rude and forgetting the old relationship! "

This remark immediately resonated, and several big and small bosses present also said the same thing. They are horse bandits who come and go like the wind and gallop across the desert. How could they stay in this ravine for so long? There was a big case and had to dodge.

However, after half a year, it is inevitable to slack off, and it is inevitable to be lucky. Being isolated from the world, he naturally has doubts about the news from the outside world.

In fact, the "Singing Sand Bandit" hiding in this deep valley is not a single group, but a joint formation of several bandits. They have a common characteristic, most of them are barbarians, and they commit crimes like The Han court has a strong hatred.

They were organized by Lu Nan, the leader of the Mingsha bandits, and together committed the robbery and murder of the Black Khan mission that shocked the northwest.

(End of this chapter)