Take the warehouse back to the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 905 Gunshots

It's not that the identity of Prince Rupert was immediately recognized by others, it's that Prince Rupert and his group are too eye-catching.

Prince Rupert is well maintained. Although he is wearing the clothes worn by ordinary businessmen, it still cannot conceal Prince Rupert's temperament. Coupled with the entourage behind Prince Rupert, it is impossible not to attract attention.

"Who are you?" An officer stood up and walked towards Prince Rupert.

Prince Rupert's face remained unchanged, and he sat quietly on the chair, without any worries.

Don't look at Prince Rupert's face didn't change in any way, in fact, his heart was already panicked to the extreme.

"We are just ordinary businessmen!"

Prince Rupert looked at the officer walking towards him, and said calmly.

"Ordinary businessman? Why don't I believe it?"

The officer stood in front of Prince Rupert, staring at Prince Rupert like an eagle.

"I don't believe that an ordinary businessman would have such a temperament, and also manage himself well?" The officer stood in front of Prince Rupert.

The officers who were with this officer also came to Prince Rupert, and vaguely surrounded Prince Rupert.

The followers around Prince Rupert suddenly became vigilant. They stared at the officers surrounding them, for fear that these officers would do something.

"An ordinary businessman can have such a good servant? I can't think of it!"

The officer who spoke turned his attention to the burly followers beside Prince Rupert.

"Ha ha!"

Prince Rupert smiled contemptuously, "What? Can't a businessman have temperament? Why do you think businessmen can't have temperament?

Although I am just a small businessman, I have done business with the earl before, so it is not surprising that I have a temperament.

As for my servants, I spent a lot of money to recruit them. Is there any problem? "

Prince Rupert sat there quietly. Although his heart was about to jump out of his chest, his expression was still calm.

"If I remember correctly, the parliamentary soldiers and horses have put Northampton under martial law these days. How did you, a small businessman, get in?"

The officer who spoke put his right hand on the waist knife and stared fixedly at Prince Rupert.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely cold, and the owner of the restaurant hid in the back kitchen, not daring to come out.

Now this scene is beyond the reach of a small restaurant owner.

"You are right, there is a reason why I can come in.

Do you know who I am?Let me tell you, the Earl of Essex and I are old acquaintances. I did business with him before. Why do you think I can enter Northampton?
Let me tell you, you'd better be polite to me, otherwise, this layer of skin on your body will be gone! "

Prince Rupert pulled the tiger's skin and kept bragging.

When the officers surrounding Prince Rupert heard what Prince Rupert said, they all hesitated.

"You said that you and the Earl of Essex are old acquaintances. Is there any proof? Why should we believe your words?" The leading officer asked solemnly.

"Ha ha!"

Prince Rupert sneered twice, and said, "It's really funny, the Earl of Essex and I are old acquaintances, do I need to lie to you?"

As Prince Rupert spoke, he mentioned some characteristics and habits of the Earl of Essex.

The Earl of Essex had worked under Charles I before, and Prince Rupert was Charles I's nephew, so Prince Rupert knew many characteristics and habits of the Earl of Essex.

Prince Rupert spoke plausibly, without any hesitation on his face.

These officers looked at the chattering Prince Rupert, and the shock on their faces became more and more intense.

Where have these officers come into contact with the Earl of Essex?

Even if there is something about the Earl of Essex, it is heard from others.

Prince Rupert had a panoramic view of the expressions of these officers, and the anxiety in his heart gradually disappeared.

"Where can these officers get in touch with the Earl of Essex? It is estimated that my words have frightened them into stupidity. Maybe I can still get something out of these officers today!"

Prince Rupert felt a lot more at ease.

After Prince Rupert finished speaking, he tapped the table in front of him with his right hand, and said lightly: "How is it? Is what I said right? I guess you don't even know what I said. That's right, you officers, know what?"

After Prince Rupert finished speaking, he looked at them with disgust.

The officers around Prince Rupert looked at me and I looked at you, not knowing what to do for a while.

It is really that the words Prince Rupert said are too unbelievable, and each one is so well-founded that people can't fault it.

"Are you really an old acquaintance of the Earl of Essex?" The leading officer still didn't believe it. There was no conclusive evidence, and it was really not completely convincing to just rely on words.

"Look at what you said. I've said it all, but you still don't believe it. Since you don't believe it, then I have nothing to do!"

Prince Rupert said, spreading his hands and shrugging.

"I think what this person said is very likely to be true, and this person doesn't look like he is lying anymore.

What's more, the parliament has more than 5 troops in Northampton. What are you afraid of? "

An officer approached the lead officer's ear and whispered.

"Yeah, this kind of thing is very likely to be true.

We haven't started a war with His Royal Highness yet, and we have no chance to make meritorious deeds. If what this man said is true, if we offend him, it is equivalent to offending the Earl of Essex.

At that time, I am afraid we will not be able to fall behind! Another officer persuaded him.

The leading officer looked at the officers surrounding him, and the doubts in his heart gradually disappeared.

Immediately, the leading officer smiled and looked at Prince Rupert, "There is nothing wrong with what you said. It seems that you are really an old acquaintance of the Earl of Essex. This is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Seeing what the leading officer said, Prince Rupert was finally relieved.

"Haha, let's not talk about the misunderstanding, you are also very responsible officers.

How about this, leave your names, I will talk to the Earl of Essex after I meet with him in a few days, people with a strong sense of responsibility like you should command more troops.

The soldiers and horses of the parliament are extremely powerful, and they will definitely overthrow the rule of Charles I and sweep Charles I into the dust! "

In order not to make these officers suspicious again, Prince Rupert could only curse Charles I a few words.

Although it was just a few words of insulting Charles I, it was very effective.

When these officers saw Prince Rupert scolding Charles I, the doubts in their hearts disappeared instantly.

In the eyes of these officers, those who can scold Charles I in public are basically their own people.

Coupled with the content of Prince Rupert's flicker just now, the vigilance of these officers disappeared in an instant.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you one thing.

I came this time mainly to deliver supplies to the soldiers of the Parliament.

You also know that there are so many soldiers in the parliament now, if the supplies cannot keep up, then the combat effectiveness of the soldiers in the parliament cannot be guaranteed.

Do you have an officer here named Smith?I mainly transported it for him. This Smith seems to be the Earl of Essex's confidant, and I don't know where he is! "

Prince Rupert spoke nonsense with a calm face. The Smith he was talking about was fabricated by him, and there was no such person at all.

In doing this, he just wanted to get some words out of the mouths of these officers.

"Smith? I've never heard of this man!" The leading officer looked at Prince Rupert suspiciously.

In the officer's impression, he had never heard of this name.

"Could it be you who messed it up? Although I'm just a low-level officer, I know most of the generals in the parliamentary army. Even if I'm not familiar with them, I've heard their names, but what you said I have never heard of this Smith!"

The leading officer looked at Prince Rupert with a puzzled look on his face.

Prince Rupert saw the officer's reaction, "Is there no such person? But I remember that his name is Smith!

And I remember that he led almost 1000 soldiers, stationed outside Northampton! "

"Then this is even more impossible, there are almost 3 soldiers stationed outside Northampton!

The [-] soldiers were mainly stationed in the south of Northampton. Because the city of London is in the south of Northampton, most of the soldiers were stationed in the south of Northampton.

Although there are some soldiers stationed in the north of Northampton, there are not many soldiers, and there is no such person as you mentioned in the south or north! "The leading officer said seriously.

Listening to the officer's voice, Prince Rupert began to think about it.

When Prince Rupert came, he didn't find any military camps along the way, even when he entered the city from outside the city, he didn't find any military camps.

"Could it be that this person is lying to me? When I came here, there were no soldiers in the south of Northampton. If there were soldiers, how could I sneak into the city so smoothly?
If there are indeed soldiers stationed in the south of Northampton as this person said, then it is impossible for me to come all the way without discovering anything! "

Prince Rupert was astonished in his heart, and he looked at the officer standing in front of him suspiciously.

"Is something wrong, I came in from the south of the city, why didn't I find any soldiers?" Prince Rupert asked suspiciously.

"You don't know this. In order to prevent the soldiers sent by the king from investigating, all the soldiers stationed in the south of the city were hidden. As for where these soldiers are, I don't know very well. I only know a rough idea. !"

The leading officer looked at Prince Rupert and said.

"What's the use of knowing a general idea? More than 3 people are stationed outside the city. Is it possible that I want to use these 100 people to touch these 3 people?
This is impossible, even if the weapons used by the 100 people led by me are extremely powerful, there is no way to compete with 3 pigs. Even if it is [-] pigs, I can't wipe them all out in a short while! "

Prince Rupert retreated inwardly.

"Actually, to tell you the truth, I led almost 1000 soldiers and stationed outside the city. Today I went to the city for business. I didn't have a meal, so I had some food at this restaurant!
I am stationed in the south of the city. I am familiar with most of the officers stationed in the south of the city, but I don’t have the one you mentioned. But because of the military order, I only know where I am stationed. As for the others, I don’t know. I only know a rough idea! "

The leading officer doubted Prince Rupert's identity again, and started talking on his own.

Prince Rupert's eyes lit up instantly.

The officer in front of him was very much in line with Prince Rupert's goal.

With 100 people led by Prince Rupert, these 100 people are most suitable for dealing with 1000 people.

Prince Rupert showed a smile on his face, a familiar look.

"I didn't expect you to be stationed in the south of the city, oh, I really didn't expect it.

How about this, I just happen to have nothing to do, how about I go with you?
Maybe it's really because I remembered wrongly, there is no such person as Smith!
Shipping materials to anyone is a matter of transportation. If you don't dislike it, why don't I ship the materials to you people first? ! "

Prince Rupert smiled at them.

When the leading officer heard this, the smile on his face became even stronger.

"That's good, but what about the Earl of Essex?" asked the leading officer.

Prince Rupert waved his hand indifferently, "The Earl of Essex and I are old acquaintances, old friends, what's the matter, anyway, we are all soldiers of the Parliament, it doesn't matter to anyone, at worst I will run more A few times, and these materials are free of charge, I support the parliamentary army and donate specially."

Prince Rupert said that he was selfless, and used materials that did not exist to fool the officer in front of him for a moment.

"Thank you, thank you very much!" The officer hurriedly thanked.

In this world, the vast majority of people like to take advantage of small things, whether they are in the East or the West, and the officer in front of him is exactly like that.

"If this is the case, then go to your station first!"

Prince Rupert stood up and walked towards the door.

The leading officer asked: "Don't you want to eat? Don't eat."

"Meals can be eaten at any time, but the supplies must be delivered in time!"

Prince Rupert walked out of the restaurant as he spoke.

Seeing that Prince Rupert had already left, the leading officer did not hesitate.

Not long after, Prince Rupert followed the leading officer towards his station.

The leading officer found several carriages when they were leaving the city, and then drove Prince Rupert and his party towards his station.

After walking for more than two hours, I finally arrived at the officer's station.

This is in a forest southwest of Northampton. The surrounding area is desolate and there is almost nothing. The camp is simply set up in the forest.

The carriage stopped in front of the camp. Prince Rupert jumped out of the carriage. He stood in front of the camp and looked at the camp in front of him. He said secretly: "No wonder I didn't notice any movement all the way. It turned out that the camp was set up." In this kind of place, if there is no special guide, I am afraid it is really not easy to find."

The officer also jumped out of the carriage, patted Prince Rupert on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "You should write down the road, when will the supplies be delivered?"

Most of the officers and soldiers in the parliamentary army are landless farmers, handicraftsmen or unemployed workers. This kind of people's desire for wealth is far beyond ordinary people. Although the person in front of him is an officer, he is still very eager for supplies. , anyway, no money.

"I've written down the road. If that's the case, then I'll go first. I guess I can deliver the supplies tonight or tomorrow morning!" Prince Rupert nodded.

"Would you like to go in and sit down?"

The officer pointed to the inside of the camp.

Prince Rupert shook his head and said, "I won't do it, the task is important!"

The two exchanged pleasantries, and ten minutes later, Prince Rupert walked outside with his entourage.

From the beginning to the end, at the beginning, the officer had some doubts about Prince Rupert's identity, but when Prince Rupert told the Earl of Essex's living habits, the officer's guard against Prince Rupert My heart relaxed a lot.

After all, a large number of soldiers in the parliamentary army were farmers, workers, handicraft practitioners, etc. a while ago, and had not received systematic training.

If it is a well-trained soldier, it is certainly impossible to easily believe what Prince Rupert said.

On the way back, Prince Rupert tried his best to write down the road.

"These 1000 people are just right, let's take the 1000 of you tonight!" Prince Rupert's face was full of excitement, and now he can't wait for the night to come.

Fortunately, there are a large number of people in the parliamentary army who are scattered soldiers. They don't have the slightest method in fighting, and they can't be regarded as real soldiers. Otherwise, it is impossible not to find Prince Rupert and the others.

The shit-stirring sticks of this era are actually not very powerful. In the current shit-stirring sticks, apart from the small number of troops in the hands of Charles I, the parliament does not have a standing army.

Although there are many soldiers in the parliament, most of them are militiamen without military training.

Moreover, most of the parliamentary officers are cautious and incompetent, not as good as the king's officers.

Historically, in the early days of the shit-stirring civil war, most of the parliamentary army, especially the grassroots officers, were useless, and they didn't even know the most basic marching and fighting.

Among the parliamentary army, only the army led by Cromwell and Fairfax has some combat effectiveness. As for the other armies, they haven't even trained for a few days, so what can they be expected to do?
Therefore, it is not surprising that the operations above Prince Rupert were successful.

It was just getting dark when Prince Rupert returned to his residence.

The hundred soldiers led by Prince Rupert were stationed in the suburbs south of Northampton.

There is no way for a shit stirrer to compare with the East. Whether it is in later generations or now, the population is very small, especially now, the number is even smaller.

As the conflict between Charles I and the Parliament continued to deepen, the situation became more and more tense.

When the parliamentary army came to Northampton, those residents near the outside of Northampton fled.

So empty rooms were left, and the suburbs south of Northampton were completely empty.

The parliamentary army is mixed, and the scouts sent outside are so pitiful that they have no effect at all. In addition, the number of people led by Prince Rupert is not large, so no one knows that Prince Rupert has arrived Northampton.

The sky became completely dark. Prince Rupert rode his horse and led his men towards the officer's station.

With the horse this time, Prince Rupert was very fast, and it didn't take long for him to arrive in the forest around the officer's garrison.

Prince Rupert was not in a hurry to attack, but let the people he led all jump off the horses, tied the horses to the surrounding trees, and then hid in the woods.

I don't know when a few dark clouds floated, covering the moon in the sky, and the sky and the earth became completely dark, and I couldn't see my fingers.

Attacking at this time is a stupid choice. Without any lighting, it is easy to distinguish between the enemy and the enemy.

Prince Rupert can also be regarded as an experienced general. He knew this, so he was not in a hurry to let his soldiers attack.

Prince Rupert led the people to stay around the woods all night. When the white belly appeared in the east, Prince Rupert stood up from the ground. He wiped the dew from his face and took a deep breath.

Prince Rupert looked at the camp not far ahead, and said loudly to his subordinates: "Check the weapons and equipment, and prepare to attack."

After the words fell, the soldiers led by Prince Rupert began to check their weapons and equipment.

Not long after, the weapon inspection was completed.

Prince Rupert took a Dreiser rifle from his personal guard, and he loaded the bullet according to Professor He Donglang's method.

"Follow me!"

Prince Rupert threw down a sentence, then held a rifle, bowed his waist, and walked forward.

The distance between Prince Rupert and the camp was constantly shortening, that is, in about ten minutes, Prince Rupert came to 100 meters outside the camp.

Although there were some soldiers standing guard outside the camp, these soldiers were either leaning against a big tree or squatting on the ground, drowsy, and they didn't even notice that Prince Rupert was leading the people approaching.

Prince Rupert stopped. He pressed his hands towards the back and whispered, "Stop moving forward."

Where Prince Rupert stopped, there happened to be a bush that could provide them with cover.

Those attendants protecting Prince Rupert looked at Prince Rupert, expecting Prince Rupert's order.

"I don't want to sneak attack this time. I want to defeat you from the front. I want to tell you clearly that I am coming!"

Prince Rupert knelt down on one knee, raised the Dreiser rifle in his hand, and aimed at a drowsy soldier leaning against a big tree in front of him.

(End of this chapter)