The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

The sound of horseshoes went away, and a few figures turned around from the back of the soil slope near the camp, looking at the direction in which the bandits were going away, talking softly.

"This gang of thieves actually consider the thieves as their fathers, willing to be the dogs of the west thieves; the lower officials don't understand, my dignified Song people actually have bad things that have fallen to this level."

"My lord, isn't it normal for one kind of rice to eat a hundred kinds of people? There are good and bad people who are distinguished between high and low. In fact, let me tell you, there is no such thing as good or bad. It's just a word for profit; Considering the morality of cause and effect, this group of people do not care about the teachings of sages and sages who take profits."

"It also makes sense. Dare I ask my lord, should we proceed to the next step now?"

Su Jin nodded and said: "It's not too late. The dynasty has led people to guard around. From now on, everything done in the camp cannot be watched by others. The king immediately mobilized the rest of the soldiers and coachmen to work quickly."

Everyone promised to split up and act immediately.

……

In the early morning of the next day, before the dew on the grass blades was dry, the team set off and continued to move forward. The team stretched for several miles as usual, and slowly advanced on the winding mountain road; at a glance, the team was no different from yesterday's team. What's the difference, but if you look carefully, you will see some clues.

The drivers who drove the animals were much more relaxed, and the vehicles seemed to be much lighter, and although the whole team was still very long, it always felt that there were a lot fewer people.However, this may seem inconspicuous to outsiders.

From time to time, there would be sneaky black spots on the mountain ridges on both sides. Su Jin and others knew that it was the large and small cottages entrenched on the mountain who discovered the whereabouts of their team.Each of these cottages has its own territory, and when passing through their territory, they naturally keep a close eye on them. Although they are salivating at the hundreds of carts that are tightly covered by oilcloth, but facing this car with more than 4000 people With such a huge team, these small groups of bandits can only sigh, showing no desire to do anything.

Walking like this, the speed of the team was astonishingly slow. Three days later, the team was finally going to get out of the high mountains, and more than ten miles to the north, they had to leave the mountain pass. When they left the mountain pass, they would find the Yimapingchuan Loess Road leading directly to the nearest Jiezhou City.

When the sun was setting to the west, Su Jin ordered to camp in a mountain depression three miles away from the exit of the mountain. In the middle of the night, the sound of horseshoes breaking the silence, more than ten horsemen galloped up, and the officers and soldiers on duty at night rushed to meet them. Zhao Hu sent the letter back.

Su Jin calculated the time correctly, knowing that Zhao Hu would definitely return tonight, so he did not fall asleep, but lay in the tent with all his clothes on and waited. Hearing Ma Han's report, he got up and lit a candle, and ordered Zhao Hu to come and see him.

Zhao Hu was sweating profusely, and entered the tent with his face covered in dust. Without further ado, he picked up a pot of herbal tea on the small table and drank it to his full. After wiping his mouth, he said, "My lord, I'm back."

Su Jin smiled and said, "Is everything going well?"

Zhao Hu said: "It's okay, I've seen Mr. Fan."

Su Jinxi said: "What did Lord Fan say?"

Zhao Hu said: "I can't explain clearly, I asked someone to tell you, Lord Fan sent some generals to come with me."

Su Jin hurriedly said: "Where is it? Please come in yet."

There was a sound of footsteps outside the tent, and the curtain was lifted. Three officers in armor stepped in. The first one had a handsome face under the armor, with thick eyebrows, bright eyes and bright eyes. Apart from the dust, there is no weariness; what is striking is that there are actually two lines of prison tattoos on his cheeks, completely destroying his handsome face and adding a bit of toughness.

"Master Su, the humble Di Qing came to bother you." The man clasped his fists in salute and said loudly.

Su Jin was greatly surprised, and hurriedly clasped his fists to return the salute. 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 Yanzhou Zhangwu Army at this time. It is already the title of fifth-rank military officer.

"It turned out that Commander Di arrived. I have heard for a long time that Commander Di is a hero who is famous in the world. His reputation has shocked the Northwest. My brother has admired him for a long time. I don't want to be able to meet you today. It is a great honor."

Su Jin is not being polite, at least most of these words are from the heart. There are many stories about this Di Qing in later generations. Although most of them are fabricated, Di Qing always uses the image of a great hero in cartoons, movies and TV dramas. The appearance of the image made Su Jinhao admire him at that time, and he didn't want to see a living one, so the 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 office heard about his deeds, a little flattered, cupped his hands and said: "Your Excellency's praise, how can Di Qing be accepted."

Su Jin hurriedly ordered people to bring futons, and everyone sat down one after another, ordered people to serve tea and dry food to fill their stomachs first.

After seeing Su Jin meeting, Di Qing was not in a hurry to talk about things first, but considering the lack of people and horses traveling along the way, he bought some tea and water to treat him, and he felt good about it.

After eating and drinking, Di Qing patted his stomach and smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Su. The humble job is full. Let's talk about business." I completely agree with your lord's proposal, and highly praised your lord's strategy, so I ordered the humble officer and the two subordinates to come to help you; Taste the taste of being made dumplings, and avenge the defeat of Shuichuan's army. "

Su Jin knew that Fan Zhongyan sent Di Qing to assist him because he was afraid that he would not be able to command the battle and that something would go wrong; although Su Jin was confident that he could arrange it properly, he had the assistance of Di Qing, who had rich experience in actual combat, to ensure that nothing would go wrong; This also shows how much Fan Zhongyan attaches importance to this matter.

"It's my honor to be approved by Mr. Fan, but I don't know how to implement it, how to proceed? Does Mr. Fan have a clear instruction?"

Di Qing reached out from his pocket and took out a stacked piece of paper, and unfolded it under the light. It was circled and 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 they heard Di Qing say: "Master Su, this official road passes through a mountain road of eighty miles, and there is a mountain pass three miles ahead. It is the loess plain of Yimapingchuan, and there are mountain roads for more than [-] miles to the north after passing Shanzhou. There is a place called Yingzui Cliff at the junction of the southwest of Xiezhou and the northwest of Shanzhou. It is the last place of the official road on Yongxingjun Road. Yamaguchi; Master Fan means that in order to prevent the horse army of the western thieves from having a place 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 stared at the map and frowned, slowly said: "This is not difficult, there are a lot of food and grass supplies as bait, I am not afraid that the western thieves will not take the bait; if it is according to Mr. Fan's design, I think we must stop here and wait for the enemy. Come, encircle at the mountain pass; or encircle at Yingzui Cliff."

Di Qing suddenly asked: "What do you think is appropriate, my lord?"

Seeing that Di Qing wanted to test himself, Su Jin smiled and said: "If you set up an ambush here, there will be one advantage and two disadvantages. The advantage lies in going deep into the hinterland of the Yongxing Army. The chances of going back are very small; the disadvantage is that if you wait for the western bandits to arrive, the large group of people will have to camp and wait here. Be more careful, there are mountain roads on the retreat route, they will definitely step up their efforts to find out information, and our actions are meticulously sent to the enemy, so they may not be hooked."

Di Qing clapped his palms and praised: "Master Su is indeed a versatile talent in both civil and military affairs. This analysis is thorough and convincing. It is exactly the same as what a humble official thinks."

Su Jin rolled her eyes and thought: Are you praising me or yourself.

"Therefore, I suggest that the best ambush location be around Eagle's Mouth Cliff. The closer you are to the border, the easier it is to attract western thieves. The disadvantage is that there is no mountain behind Eagle's Mouth Cliff, and the enemy cavalry can easily escape. I'm afraid I need to spend more brains on the layout, and I don't know much about the terrain there, so I don't dare to make a rash conclusion."

Di Qing hurriedly said: "Look at the map, my lord. The terrain of Yingzui Cliff is marked on the map. Please see, the place where the hook is like an eagle's mouth is the canyon of Yingzui Cliff. This is a natural canyon, so the wide valley in the valley Very, narrow at both ends and wide in the middle, it is an excellent place to tie your pockets."

Su Jin said: "How big is the cliff valley?"

Di Qing said: "It's more than a hundred feet wide, and thousands of cavalry can move around in it. This is a disadvantage."

Su Jin's eyes lit up, and he said: "Not necessarily, this is the advantage, otherwise how would the western thief enter the cliff? How can we catch the turtle in the urn?"

Di Qing smiled and said: "The humble official is really convinced. Master Su forgives the disrespectful position. The humble official is only ordered to test Master Su's wisdom. Based on Master Su's words, there should be no doubt about the humble official."

Su Jin laughed and said: "Why is this so? I'm just talking on paper. In actual combat, I need Commander Di's assistance in commanding."

Di Qing said: "The humble staff will do their best and never dare to neglect; the only difficulty is that although the valley is wide, it is not enough to dispel the vigilance of the western thieves. They must not rush into the Yingzui Cliff Valley. The place is right here, if the western thieves refuse to enter the cliff, they can only fight at the mouth of the cliff, and by then they may not be able to catch up, if they are determined to run."

Su Jin laughed and said: "Leave this matter to me. Let's invite you into the urn. I only hope that Mr. Fan will not disturb the West Thieves. If there is no accident, the soldiers and horses of the West Thieves have already entered the country. I hope no one will come." Just disturb them."

Di Qing said with a smile: "Mr. Fan is a hundred times more thoughtful than your lord. Please rest assured, lord Su, that you will be sure to make sure that the western thieves can go all the way without hindrance."

Su Jin laughed and said: "That's the best, and let them go and enjoy themselves. It's best for Li Yuanhao himself to come back here. Let's settle everything."

Although everyone knew that Su Jin was joking, they were full of expectations. The possibility of Yuan Hao coming was very slim, but if it really came, it would be a good show.

.