The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 310 Insider
In the early morning of the next day, a rising sun burst out from under the horizon, and smoke was everywhere outside the Big Copper Mountain. After a group of soldiers had eaten and drank enough, they began to search and kill the first mountaintop like a dragnet.

As the saying goes, there must be brave men under heavy rewards. A thief's head is worth two taels of silver, and capturing a thief alive can get three taels of silver. Therefore, in the eyes of the sergeants, those pirates are simply walking silver ingots, and The number of these "yuanbao" is limited, only about two hundred. If you are quick and slow, you can grab one which is equivalent to one month's military salary. If you grab ten or eight, you will have a year's income.

Therefore, soldiers who take the initiative to go into the mountains to clean up the mountains are flocking to them. Unfortunately, you may not be selected if you sign up. They only need to be young, strong, skilled, or elite soldiers with special skills. What is a skill? For example, if you can draw accurate arrows, if you shoot well with a gun, or if you can climb trees quickly, you can all be selected first.

The first wave of elite soldiers who were lucky enough to enter the mountain for encirclement and suppression totaled 500 people. They were divided into groups of 100 people, a total of five groups. They started searching from the outermost hill. There is also an elite force of 500 people standing nearby, ready to support and respond to emergencies.

The first advance team was very lucky. When they searched halfway up the mountain, they encountered a small group of pirates hiding in the mine. There were only about ten people. This small group of pirates were probably sent to the outer perimeter for surveillance and investigation, but they were blocked and did not dare to engage in a fight, so they went straight into the depths of the mine.

Now the soldiers became more energetic. They used fire, smoke, and after a lot of tossing, the pirates in the mine finally couldn't hide. They had no choice but to crawl out of the pit. Immediately, they were attacked with spears by the officers and soldiers who were waiting outside the pit. Four were stabbed to death and wounded, two were killed and wounded with musketry, and the rest were so frightened that they lay on the ground begging for mercy.

After winning the first battle, the soldiers were full of enthusiasm and morale. They continued to carry out a carpet-like search and kill, sweeping two mountains in one go. They did not stop until the sun set and the sky was getting dark. After the elite soldiers in charge of the assault retreated, the main infantry immediately followed up, blocking the two cleared hills and planting flags for easy identification.

That night, Yi Hong was undoubtedly in a happy mood, because the results of the first day's cleanup were ideal, which directly proved that this method was effective. In this battle, a total of eighteen pirates were killed, twelve were wounded and captured, and two mountains were surveyed. If this rate continued, the battle would be completely over within three to five days.

…………

It was night, everything was quiet, and the cave was pitch dark. Because the officers and soldiers had entered the mountain today, Kang Dayong ordered that fireworks be strictly prohibited to avoid exposing his position.

"Ouch... Ouch... my mother-in-law!"

"Ah - ah - ah, it hurts me to death!"

In the darkness, painful moans came one after another. Just after the call was finished, someone called out again there, as if they were singing in harmony, which felt weird.

At this time, someone finally couldn't hold it back and cursed: "You two, are you done with it, howling for your mother's mourning? It's like a sister screaming *, it's so noisy, and it makes people sleepy!" "

There was a burst of laughter all around.

"Seagouzi, I'm a bastard. I thought I couldn't hear your voice. If you dare, say it again. Believe it or not, I'll give you a knife in your ass." A pirate with an injured butt struggled to stand up and cursed fiercely. .

Another pirate, whose head was hung up, also stood up and said sternly: "Sea Dog, I am the eighteenth generation of your ancestors... Ouch, it hurts me to death."

As soon as the pirate finished cursing, he squatted down in pain and covered his head. It looked like he was seriously injured.

It turned out that the two pirates had a lucky escape today during the clearing operation by the officers and soldiers, but they were also injured. There was a lack of medical treatment in the mountains, so they could only sprinkle soil and wood ash on the wounds. The pain made them unable to sleep all night.

The pirate named Sea Gouzi curled his lips and said: "Isn't it just that he was hit on the head by a stone, and it hurts like that!"

"It doesn't hurt, just let me hit it and try it!" The pirate with an injured head said bitterly: "You don't know how dirty the officers and soldiers who went into the mountain to suppress them were. They set fire to the cave and used smoke to almost kill them. I choked to death. The most hateful thing is that they even threw a hornet nest into the hole. Zhou Dazui was stung to death by the wasps. Fortunately, I ran fast, otherwise I would have died. "

The pirate whose butt was injured also said bitterly: "I couldn't bear the smoke, so I ran out. As a result, I rushed out of the hole and was met by a row of guns. Three of the seven people were killed on the spot and two were injured. I was lucky and didn't get shot, but I still got a stab in the butt. If it wasn't for my familiarity with the terrain, I would have been in trouble. "

The other pirates in the cave felt chills running down their backs when they heard this. The sea dog took a breath and said, "My dear, does that mean the cave is no longer safe?"

"It's safe, let's all wait to die!" the pirate with an injured butt said angrily, obviously very dissatisfied with being laughed at by the thieves just now.

The pirates thought that hiding in the cave would be safe for the time being, but at this time they all became uneasy, whispering, and panicking.

At this time, a beam of fire suddenly lit up, blinding the thieves. After a moment, when everyone adjusted and calmed down, they discovered that the second master Li Hongji was holding a torch, and the eldest master Kang Dayong next to him had a ferocious look on his face. Staring at the two injured pirates.

The two injured pirates were so frightened that they said, "I've seen the boss before!"

Kang Dayong stepped forward, grabbed one of the pirates by the collar, lifted it up like a chicken, and asked coldly: "Your head hurts, doesn't it?"

The pirate almost peeed out of fright, shook his head violently and said: "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt for me!"

Kang Dayong stretched out his fingers and grabbed the pirate's head. One of his fingers dug into the wound, causing blood to flow out and the pirate to scream in pain.

"Does it hurt?" Kang Dayong asked.

"It hurts, it hurts me to death. Master, please spare my life!" The pirate screamed and struggled, but Kang Dayong twisted hard, only to hear a snap, and the pirate's neck tilted to the side and made no sound.

"It doesn't hurt anymore!" Kang Dayong said calmly, throwing the pirate aside, and then walked straight towards the pirate with an injured butt.

"Master, Master, please spare your life, I don't dare to talk nonsense anymore!" The pirate was so frightened that he peed directly and collapsed on the ground, trembling.

Kang Dayong, however, didn't even blink. He killed the pirate with one knife. Then he glanced around fiercely and said ferociously: "Whoever dares to fart randomly and shake people's hearts will end up like this."

The pirates in the cave were all as silent as cicadas, and the surroundings were deathly silent.

Kang Dayong then wiped the machete in his hand, turned around and walked away. Li Hongji said calmly: "These two men have shaken the morale of the army and should be killed. You should take this as a warning!"

Then he comforted: "The cave we are in is connected in all directions and has many exits. No matter whether the officers and soldiers attack with fire, water or smoke, it will be useless. As long as the attackers dare to come in, they will never come back."

The pirates felt a little relieved after hearing this. The cave they were in now was a natural cave. It was indeed connected in all directions and had many exits. Even if they couldn't defend it, it was still very convenient to escape.

"Seagouzi, find a few people to deal with it. Let everyone go to bed and stop gossiping!" Li Hongji ordered and left holding a torch. Sea Gouzi hurriedly led people to drag the two corpses to a fork and discard them.

As the head of the family, Kang Dayong occupied a clean and flat cave hall by himself, with torches burning inside. His third brother Kang Dayi was also there at the moment.

Li Hongji walked into the cave hall. Kang Dayong glanced at him and asked calmly: "Is there something wrong with the second master?"

Li Hongji nodded and said: "Master, the situation is critical now and it is very unfavorable to us. Today, the officers and soldiers cleared two hills in one day. I'm afraid it won't be long before they find us here."

Kang Dayong said with a dark face: "Of course I know, but what can you do?"

Kang Dayi complained: "Li Ji, didn't you say that there are dense forests in the mountains of Tongshan, and as long as we hide inside, a hundred thousand troops can't do anything to us? Now, we can't withstand it for a day? Grandma, everyone They were all killed by you.”

"Third brother, shut your stinky mouth!" Kang Dayong scolded. Although he was also dissatisfied, he still had to rely on Li Hongji for advice.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Li Hongji's face and he said: "I did not think carefully before. I didn't expect the officers and soldiers to act so resolutely and swiftly."

Kang Dayong waved his hand and said: "It's not entirely the fault of the second master. It's because Jia Huan is too tricky. And it's useless to talk about it now. It's more serious to find a way to escape."

Kang Dayi muttered: "The mountains and outside are blocked like iron barrels by officers and soldiers. Where can we escape? Maybe we can survive for a few more days by hiding in the cave."

Kang Dayong's eyes turned cold, and Kang Dayi was so frightened that he waved his hands and said, "Second brother, I was wrong. I won't say anything more. Listen to Li Ji!"

Li Hongji sighed and said: "In this situation, we either have to fight to the death to break out and escape one by one, or we really can only wait to die!"

Kang Dayong sneered: "With just the few people we have, breaking through will lead to death!"

Li Hongji's eyes flashed and he said: "If we have internal support among the officers and soldiers, we may be able to successfully break through and escape."

Hearing this, Kang Dayi couldn't help but sneered: "What nonsense? If there were some of us among the officers and soldiers, we wouldn't have to be driven away like lost dogs."

Kang Dayong's heart moved slightly, he looked at Li Hongji suspiciously, and asked coldly: "Second Boss, do you also know about that account book?"

Li Hongji nodded calmly and said, "Master Yi told me."

Under Kang Dayong's sharp gaze, Kang Dayi said sarcastically: "Second brother, I just let the news slip for a moment, and it doesn't matter if Li Ji knows."

Kang Dayong snorted coldly, stared at Li Hongji and said, "Now that the second master knows about it, what are you going to do?"

"The commander of the Yangzhou Guard, Dai Li, is outside the mountain at the moment. I can personally take the risk and lurk to contact him, and threaten him with the account book to open a gap to let us leave."

Kang Dayi was overjoyed when he heard this, clapped his hands and said, "Yes, if this ledger is exposed, Dai Li, that bitch, will be dead. In order to save his life, he will definitely let us go. Second brother, this method is appropriate!"

Kang Dayong glanced at Li Hongji and said hesitantly: "Aren't you afraid that Dai Li will kill you and silence you? My father and eldest brother were assassinated and silenced. It probably has something to do with this bastard."

However, Li Hongji said with a genuine expression: "Anyway, we will die, so it is better to give it a try. If I can earn a chance for the headmaster and the brothers, I, Li Ji, will die a worthy death. Moreover, I will not bring the original copy with me, but will only excerpt a part of it." , then Dai Li would not dare to kill me when he saw that the account book was not there. "

Kang Dayong felt relieved after hearing this. Originally, he was worried that Li Hongji would deceive the account book. Now that he doesn't want the original, there is nothing to worry about. Let him do it. If things go well, it's best. If things don't go well, he will There was no loss. At most, Li Ji was killed by Dai Li, so he nodded and said: "Good brother, the second master is really loyal and heroic. It's just that there is no pen and ink here. How can the second master copy the account books?"

Li Hongji said: "This is easy. Use charcoal to write on a piece of cloth. You don't need to write too much. Just excerpt some of the accounts related to Dai Li."

At that moment, Li Hongji asked Kang Dayi to take out the account book, then tore off a piece of cloth from his body, copied down several items about Dai Li in the account book, and selected a few items related to Yangzhou Magistrate Hong Wenxuan to copy, and finally copied the cloth. Fold the strips and carefully put them into your arms.

Kang Dayong then asked: "When will the second master prepare to leave?"

Li Hongji looked decisive and said: "It's not too late, act now."

Kang Dayong suddenly became suspicious again when he saw Li Hongji being so active. He frowned and said, "Is it too hasty?"

Li Hongji shook his head and said: "As the saying goes, if the night is long and the dreams are long, things may change if you are too late. The officers and soldiers will definitely continue to raid tomorrow. Every day we are late, the scope of our activities will be further compressed, and it will be even more difficult to lurk out of the mountain. The boss is here. Don’t worry, Dai Li’s camp is in the north, and the nearby hills have not been cleared. I am confident that I can get out.”

Kang Dayong glanced at Li Hongji meaningfully and said, "That's right. Since the second boss has made preparations, the boss will be waiting for your good news."

Li Hongji cupped his hands and said in a low voice: "I hope the boss and Master Yi will keep this matter secret. The fewer people know about it, the better, so as not to shake people's hearts."

Kang Dayong nodded and said: "Of course!"

Li Hongji then turned around and left the cave hall with confidence.

Kang Dayi looked at Li Hongji's back and said a little worriedly: "Second brother, this kid Li Ji is so active, doesn't he want to take the opportunity to escape? We'd better be careful."

Kang Dayong sneered and said: "It doesn't matter if he runs away. We have nothing to lose anyway. We should let him explore the way. If he runs away, we can naturally do it. And we will detain his brother Li Yi unless he Regardless of my brother’s life.”

Hearing this, Kang Dayi smiled and said, "That's right, my second brother is wise!"

(End of this chapter)