But the bright moon shines on the ditch

Near midnight, a big bay-red horse stopped hurriedly in front of the official post gate. A man jumped off the horse and quickly walked forward to knock on the door. Unexpectedly, after knocking for a long time, there was some inaudible movement inside the door, and then a pair of eyes closed behind the crack of the door that was pushed open.

The crack in the door was very thin. The Yi Cheng Mao Yao looked carefully and saw that there was only one person coming. He was dressed in black robes and looked decent, not like a bandit. He was relieved.

"Who are you?"

Wu Yin showed him the customs clearance document and asked: "Why are you so careful? But what happened?"

Yi Cheng trembled when he mentioned this: "Qian'er, a wave of bandits came from nowhere. Their accent did not sound like locals. They rushed directly into the official post. Two grooms clashed with them and were killed immediately. The remaining When I saw the situation, all the people ran away. I waited until they were far away before I dared to come back... Alas, those gangsters who killed thousands of people robbed everything they could. My luggage and a little bit of silver were all gone. ”

Wu Yin pondered for a moment and then asked: "Approximately how many people are there on the other side?"

Yi Cheng quickly replied: "There are hundreds of people."

Wu Yin was surprised: "So many?"

"No, there was a huge group of people, all riding big horses, followed by more than a dozen carriages. They were probably all looted supplies."

At this time, Wu Jia, who had been waiting in the carriage, also came over. Hearing this, he clenched the handkerchief tightly, with a hidden worry on his face.

They had already passed through Anhui and headed towards Henan. Unexpectedly, they met more and more bandits as they walked. After asking the locals, they found out that the trouble in the north was too fierce. From time to time, a wave of bandits would flee in all directions. What happened to the local government? I can’t even catch them all.

One of them, a team of about fifty people, was robbing homes and houses in Anhui. It was quite a commotion. Some of them were bandits on the road, some were ordinary people who were forced to join the bandits by the war, and some of them wandered around all year round. The stragglers and brave men in the border areas follow the rules of the weak and the strong, and gradually form a small armed bandit team in troubled times.

Wu Yin relied on his intuition to conclude that the wave of people would not stay in Anhui and would continue to go south to find a more suitable place to set up camp.

So he sent a letter to Xu Zhiliu in a flying pigeon, asking him to take precautions early, while he continued to go north. As I walked, I was still worried, but I still came back.

Unexpectedly, the number of personnel that Yi Cheng mentioned was far beyond his expectation. It can be seen that the original team has been expanded at such a rapid speed. Judging from the situation that the banditry in the south has not yet become rampant, it is most likely that the opponent is well-trained and not ordinary. generation.

His frown relaxed, and he immediately made a decision: "This matter is urgent and needs to be reported to Raozhou Mansion immediately."

He has now returned to the boundary of Fuliang. Going forward is Shimen Town. If he rides fast overnight, he should be able to reach Raozhou Mansion tomorrow morning. He asked Yi Cheng, "Do you know where they plan to go next?"

Yi Cheng spoke cautiously: "I heard from a distance that the leader seemed to say that there is a lot of money in the world. Not only is the porcelain valuable, but there is also a lot of fine wine..."

Hearing this, Wu Yin was relieved. Fortunately, he informed Xu Zhiliu in advance.

Since the bandit diverted to Fuliang, there should not be any obstruction for him to go all the way south to Raozhou Prefecture. Therefore, he gave up the idea of ​​placing Wu Jia here temporarily, and turned to her and said: "You have to work hard." You, ride with me tonight and rest at Raozhou Mansion tomorrow morning. I will arrange for someone to take you back to Beijing first."

"No, I'll wait for you in Raozhou Mansion." Wu Jia said firmly, "Didn't you say that? I won't go back to Beijing for the time being."

Wu Fangyuan fabricated a false identity for Xu Zhiliu and pretended to be a court official. This matter was related to the safety of the whole family. Wu Jia knew the seriousness and would never cause trouble to his father and brother by messing around at this time. "It is best for me to stay there."

"Alright."

Wu Yin expected that this wave of bandits would not be able to become a great weapon and it would not take too long. Even if something happens, Nanchang Mansion is next door, and the commanding officer Si Yamen is right there, making it easy to mobilize.

But that was Sun Min's territory after all, so Wu Yin was a little worried. Wu Jia smiled: "Brother, you are too nervous. Things are far from that point. Besides, I am not a woman who has never been out of the boudoir. I know how to protect myself. Don't worry, okay?"

Wu Yin couldn't tell the reason for the turmoil in her heart. If she had known that today, when she and Xu Zhiliu returned to Jingdezhen, they should have arranged her escape route in advance. It would be better than the bandits and wolves now, except for keeping her tightly. Being tied to him, he really had no choice.

Wu Jia persuaded him a few more times, and with repeated assurances, Wu Yin reluctantly relented. In this case, they no longer delayed, asked the postman for some dry food, and added some water, and immediately set off on the road.

It wasn't until he arrived at Raozhou Prefecture that Wu Yin realized that the situation was far more serious than he imagined when he saw that the prefect was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

"I only received the news yesterday. Master Sun and his party faced the wave of gangsters in Taohua Town. Because they did not bring enough men, they were rounded up by the other party. We don't know where they are trapped now!"

"Master Sun? Which Master Sun?"

"Who else is Mr. Sun?" The prefect slapped his thigh hard, "It's the Zuo Buzong Envoy above us!" He was a second-rank official in the dynasty, and if he had any bad intentions, he would lose his head!

"Why did he go to Peach Blossom Town?"

Taohua Town is located in the northeastern corner of Fuliang County, just outside the boundary of Raozhou Prefecture. If Sun Min had to travel on official business, how could the prefect not accompany him within the jurisdiction of Raozhou Prefecture?

The prefect didn't know whether he should be thankful or not, so he just said: "Master Zhou made a routine inspection without notifying anyone. Apart from the Fuliang County Magistrate, there were only about a dozen guards accompanying him."

"You mean Zhou Qiguang is with him?"

His voice was like thunder, which made the Master of the Imperial Palace tremble: "Yes, yes, Master Wu, we have the strength to go elsewhere. You showed up at the right time. I need you just right!" The Wu family has the same ancestors. With Wu Yin as the hero who conquered the country on horseback, the prefect felt relieved. But if he observes carefully, it is not difficult to find that Wu Yin's face became more solemn when he heard that Zhou Qiguang was also trapped.

Why do you still want to leave the city when you know that there are bandits heading south? Why didn't we take precautions?

Xu Zhiliu was a cautious person and would never risk his death recklessly, unless... he did it on purpose. Thinking that he was traveling with Sun Min this time and only had a dozen guards, an idea flashed through his mind.

Could it be that he wanted to get rid of Sun Min with the help of bandits?

Wu Yin was startled, and a layer of sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

Is he crazy? Let’s not talk about whether the bandit has that ability. He himself is still with Sun Min. If the bandit dares to kill even the local emperor of Jiangxi, will he let him go? What's more, this is not an ordinary weapon.

Wu Yin immediately asked the prefect to bring over the map and wrote another letter to rush to Jingdezhen.

At noon, a rapid march led by Wu Yin was divided into two teams from south to north and encircled Taohua Town. At the same time, the troops led by An Jiu had also quietly reached behind the bandits.

This gang of gangsters was quite conscientious. They only robbed official posts and robbed merchants and wealthy households along the way, but never attacked ordinary people. They lived in Taohua Village outside Taohua Town, where they collected vegetables and poultry from the people and cooked meals together, and their life was quite comfortable.

They originally planned to go straight to Jingdezhen after entering Fuliang. They did not want to go halfway and listen to the people talking about the provincial officials coming to inspect.

Upon hearing this, their first reaction was to run. Although the leader Qin Fanghu had read several military books, he had never seen the world and was naturally afraid of the provincial officials, so he decided to withdraw from Fuliang first. Make further plans.

Taohua Town is located in the northeast corner of Fuliang. It has rugged terrain and towering peaks. It can be retreated or defended. It is a natural battlefield. So they retreated to Taohua Town overnight. Unexpectedly, the senior official just finished visiting Taohua Town and was walking out. Two groups of people They just faced each other in and out.

Fortunately, there were only a dozen people on the other side, and they were at an extreme disadvantage. Qin Fanghu saw that he would be sorry if he didn't take action, so he called his brothers and killed him. What he didn't expect was that these dozen or so people were either the top killers in the world, or the elite of the elite of the Chief Envoy Department. It was easy to block ten from one, and the two sides retreated within a short period of time.

The incident happened suddenly and he was not prepared. After calming down, Qin Fanghu made another emergency attack, specifically targeting the "high officials" protected by two groups of people. This made it difficult for the other party to fight back and was driven out of the town and forced into A canyon outside Taohua Village.

The canyon is backed by a natural chasm, with no way out and no way in. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Therefore, without reinforcements, they can be killed just by spending time outside.

Now the other party has been without food for three days.

There may be a water source in the natural moat, so they can't die for the time being, but their energy will definitely be greatly depleted. Qin Fanghu knew very well that three days were approaching the limit. If they waited any longer, reinforcements would arrive. By then, not only would they not be able to take advantage, but they might also fall into the danger of being attacked from inside and outside. Therefore, he could only seize the opportunity, capture the high official, and then coerce officials from various ministries to make way for him, in order to achieve a great cause.

At the moment, he was discussing a breakout plan with his brothers. Suddenly, his subordinates came over and sent a message, saying that a child outside the door had very important information and must be told to him personally.

Who kid dares to come to the bandit's den? Qin Fanghu guessed something, strode out of the door and gave the child a sling of money.

The child counted the numbers and said with satisfaction: "Someone asked me to tell you that the person in the canyon is Zuo Buzhengshi, the largest official in Jiangxi. If you kill him, you will be the largest official in Jiangxi. Take the head of a senior official, and he will Not only can I kill reinforcements for you, but I can also lead you to attack the imperial city."

This string of words was spoken very fluently. How could a child know what the Chief Minister Zuo was, and how could he know that this was not an assassin's game, but a real practice with real swords and guns.

Even though Qin Fanghu was considered a powerful man, he was still shocked when he heard these words, and the expressions of the brothers who came out with him changed even more. Can you just say this, this, this, go straight to the imperial city?

They were just thinking about it in their hearts and just talking about it in private.

The group of people hurriedly got back into the house to plot.

"This person's origin is unknown and should not be trusted easily."

"We killed countless dog officials along the way. We had no intention of living longer. Since he was the biggest official in Jiangxi, wouldn't it be a pity not to kill him?"

"I have heard about that man. Not only does he have the highest official position in Jiangxi, but he also has great power. He and the military commander are all members of the same family. If we can surrender this person in one fell swoop, we will have no problem taking over the military power... He will be in control one day. It may not be impossible to destroy the imperial city."

"Defeat his grandma and kill her directly. Wouldn't it be easier for us to become the emperor of Jiangxi?"

"The Dog Emperor has no regard for human life. He has not cared about the life and death of the people in the north for a long time. It is only a matter of time before chaos breaks out in the south. The opportunity is now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Why not make plans early?"

They originally thought that the riots in the south had not yet started, and the officials were still dreaming about the troubled Spring and Autumn Period. Compared with the north where the people were already in dire straits, money and food would be easier to obtain in the south. In this way, they can strengthen their team and gain momentum at the same time.

Even if they were unfortunately encircled by the army, there were many uncivilized areas in the mountains of the southwest, and they would have a better chance of survival by escaping there. However, they never expected that local officials would come to their doorstep.

For desperadoes like them, there is really nothing to be afraid of, just kill them as soon as your brain gets hot! So Qin Fanghu asked the child to bring back a message, saying that he would give the other party two days to give the reinforcements a good look first, so as to show the sincerity of the alliance.

The other party agreed, but Qin Fanghu did not dare to wait for two days, for fear that this was a delaying strategy.

The only thing he thought about was that since the other party had found him, even if he was not an enemy, the real enemy was not far away from him. He had no time to wait any longer. No matter whether he surrendered and was captured alive or killed with a knife, he had to set off.

So at dawn the next day, there was no need for Qin Fanghu to boost morale. When the high official's identity was revealed, everyone became excited. Who wouldn’t want to give it a try for the glory that’s within easy reach?

More than one hundred and twenty strong men, who had eaten, drank, and rested, charged toward the canyon with great courage.

Their eyes were shining with satisfaction and greed, and they were crazily cheering for the coming killing.