Jiuxi

Chapter 483 Chapter 481 [I don’t know how long the years are in the mountains]

The mountains are vast and the night is cool.

When everything was quiet, suddenly there was a roaring sound.

Like a dark wind coming, like a sudden rain.

Mixed with the low roar of the beast being awakened.

After a while, everything returned to silence.

Tao Baochun and Yang Huning, one on the left and the other on the right, came to Lin Xi with a Jingjun scout in black clothes and said coldly: "Miss, this is the third one tonight."

Under the moonlight, Lin Xi's profile is picturesque, with blue silk tied into a bunch.

She turned to look at Scout Jing Jun who was still struggling, and said calmly: "Ask him about Jing Jun's situation, and if he doesn't tell me, I'll kill him."

"Yes, Miss."

Lin Jie turned to look at her, smiled and said, "You came just in time."

She walked through the narrow path into the valley, and after walking a few dozen feet, she saw her father and Qi Lianfu standing by the flat road. They stood side by side and looked at the flat ground in the distance, where a group of craftsmen were testing the power of gunpowder.

Not long after, Yang Juning was heard scolding him and swiping his dagger on Scout Jingjun's throat.

After a while, I saw someone among the craftsmen in the distance waving to this side, and then Lin Jie also raised his hand.

Lin Xi rode her horse to the northeast. Although it was late at night with only a faint moonlight shining, she was so familiar with the topography of Baotai Mountain that she would not go the wrong way even with her eyes closed.

Tao Baochun was not surprised by this, and said to Lin Xi with a little worry: "Miss, Jingjun sent so many scouts into the mountain to investigate, is it possible that they want to invade?"

Lin Xi pondered: "It's hard to say. Uncle Tao, thank you and your brothers for keeping a close eye on them these days. Don't be soft when you encounter Jing Jun's spies. If you can't find any useful information, kill them all to avoid future troubles."

It was already three o'clock in the morning when she returned to Dazhai, but Lin Xi did not see her father Lin Jie at home.

"Daddy."

Tao Baochun shook his head and asked, "Miss, are you going back to Dazhai?"

Without the guidance of an insider, outsiders may not be able to find the way in even if they turn dozens of times, not to mention that there are many hidden sentries arranged by Lin Jie around.

Lin Xi came closer and slowed down.

More than twenty miles north of Dazhai, there is a vast valley surrounded by mountains. The entrance is hidden between the two mountains, making it extremely secretive.

Lin Xi nodded and said, "Well, I'm going to talk to my father about this."

"No hard work, no hard work."

The short Yang Juning grinned, and a dagger with a cold light appeared in his hand. He was seen pulling Scout Jing Jun's hair, with tyrannical strength bursting out of his seemingly thin body, and easily dragging Scout Jing Jun aside for questioning.

Immediately, the craftsmen were seen quickly scattering in all directions and hiding behind the mounds built in advance.

Lin Xi looked forward curiously, suppressing the uneasiness in his heart for the time being.

The two parted ways.

Tao Baochun said: "Okay, miss, please go back and leave it to me."

Lin Xi is naturally not an outsider, and those secret sentinels will not stop him.

During the seemingly long but actually short wait, a cloud of black smoke suddenly exploded in the distance, followed by a muffled sound that reached Lin Xi's ears.

Lin Jie frowned slightly and sighed softly, and Qi Lianfu next to him also looked a little solemn.

A middle-aged craftsman trotted over with a look of shame on his face and said to Lin Jie: "Gang leader, I'm sorry, we failed again."

Lin Jie had calmed down and said warmly: "Lu Chen said that this new type of gunpowder requires repeated research for a long time. After all, if the ratio of each raw material is one more or less, there will be problems. Brother Liao does not need to blame himself. , I see all your hard work during this period. Let’s take a rest for two days and then think about it slowly. Don’t rush this matter.”

The craftsman breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said seriously: "The gang leader is generous, but we people have to be ignorant. How can we get such a generous reward and not do anything? There is no need to rest. I, Lao Liao, will definitely know how to do it. Make that kind of powerful gunpowder according to Lord Lu’s request.”

Lin Jie encouraged him a few words, and then took Qi Lianfu and Lin Xi for a walk along the smooth road in the valley.

Lin Xi is no stranger to gunpowder.

When the Yan-Jing coalition attacked Baotai Mountain, Lu Chen buried fire mines in the canyon in advance. All kinds of iron blades, short nails, sharp stones, and broken porcelain, stimulated by gunpowder, dealt a devastating blow to the arrogant Jing army.

The second time was when the Huaizhou Army stormed Heluo. Lu Chen asked the Rui Shi Battalion to use a hole-in-the-wall siege method, placing supports under the city wall and then blowing it up with gunpowder, causing the towering and solid Heluo city wall to collapse directly.

However, these gunpowders, which were derived from the raw materials of fireworks and improved by Lu Shen, still had the disadvantage of insufficient power. They could play a very significant role in some special environments, but they could not be used on the frontal battlefield. Whether it was the craftsmen Lin Jie recruited from the north or the craftsmen Lu Tong recruited and sent from the south, their most important task at the moment was to improve and enhance the power of gunpowder. It's just obvious that the craftsmen have not made any progress yet.

Lin Jie turned to look at Lin Xi and asked, "Xi'er, have there been many Jingjun spies breaking into the mountains in recent days?"

Lin Xi nodded and said: "Yes, Uncle Tao said that Jingjun may attack us again, and I also think it is very possible. If not, there is no need for them to let those spies come to the mountains to die. After all, this is our territory."

"No wonder you came back in such a hurry."

Lin Jie smiled calmly, and then said: "Let Mr. Lian tell you about the situation outside recently."

Qi Lianfu coughed lightly and began to talk slowly.

After the Jing army captured Dingfeng Road, they did not choose to attack the hard nail of Fengqiu City. They just sent a group of soldiers and horses to stare at the Feiyun Army in the city, and then the main force advanced to both sides. Currently, they have captured five large and small buildings in the northern part of Dingzhou. Different cities, Fengqiu City has been reduced to despair.

Then Jing's army temporarily stopped. The current battle line is maintained in the area south of Fengqiu. It neither continues to advance south nor turns back to attack Fengqiu.

As for Baotai Mountain, although Lin Xi and his men captured many Jingjun spies in the periphery, there seemed to be no sign of the enemy attacking the Seven-Star Army.

Lin Xi frowned and asked, "How many troops does Jingjun have now?"

Qi Lianfu said solemnly: "Including the Yan Army and the Jing Army's backup troops coming from Henan Road, the total number is at least 140,000."

"One hundred and forty thousand..."

Lin Xi murmured to himself.

Of course she knew that the current situation in Daqi Dingzhou was very difficult. The Seven-Star Army was blocked in the mountains by Jing Jun. It was also a very dangerous decision to take the initiative. After all, Jing Jun's strength should not be underestimated.

In order to cover the Feiyun Army's retreat that day, she led all her cavalry to briefly fight with the Jing Army. Under the leadership of Qing Yu Zhongwang, the opponent's advance and retreat were well-established and their morale was high. They were by no means a weak force like the Yan Army, which was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Lin Jie looked at the expression on her face and suddenly realized something in his heart. Then he winked at Qi Lianfu, who said goodbye knowingly.

The father and daughter continued to move forward slowly.

This valley is very vast, with running water running through it. There is even a pond on the other side of the road. There are many rows of bungalows at the foot of the mountain in the distance, where the craftsmen live.

Surrounded by mountains, it looks like an isolated village.

Lin Jie pondered for a moment and asked gently: "Xi'er, do you want to lead the troops to attack Jingjun's retreat?"

Lin Xi did not deny it and said softly: "Dad, I know it's a bit risky to do this, but if we do nothing and let Jingjun capture the entire territory of Dingzhou, they will definitely not let go of the Seven Star Gang. We once rejected each other's offer. I surrendered and killed many Jingjun troops in the mountains. In addition, I assassinated many Jinglian nobles in Jingguo. Now that my identity is known to the other party, the hatred between the two parties can no longer be resolved. "

Lin Jie walked with his hands behind his back and said slowly: "Jing's army is powerful. Even if we smash in all the properties of more than 10,000 people, we probably won't see much splash."

Lin Xi was not anxious because of this. She nodded and said, "That's why my daughter doesn't dare to make her own decisions. She will definitely follow her father's arrangements."

Lin Jie raised his eyes to the sky covered with dark clouds and sighed: "We cannot move in this battle. At least until the situation is clear, the Seven Star Army cannot go out to fight with Jing Jun."

Lin Xi couldn't help but fall into silence.

Lin Jie explained: "Xi'er, speaking to the public, the Seven Star Army only has this little wealth, and it is not as big as Qi Jun or Jing Jun's family. We must be responsible for every man, woman, and child in the gang. As long as we don't leave Bao In Taishan, Jingjun will not take the initiative to cause trouble for us. Their current enemy is the Qi border army. It is impossible for Qing Yugong not to understand this reason. He sent spies into the mountain during this period just because he was worried that we would suddenly attack. . Now he should understand my thoughts, and there will be an unspoken understanding between the two parties."

Lin Xi was about to speak but stopped: "But..."

"But the situation facing the Dingzhou Army is very dangerous?"

Lin Jie took over her words, stopped and said, "But what does this have to do with our Seven Star Gang?"

Lin Xi was stunned.

Lin Jie said slowly: "I just talked about the public spirit, now let's talk about selfishness. The Seven Star Gang is the foundation of all gang members, not my private property. I can't let tens of thousands of gang members die for the great cause of Qi State. This is The duty of the Qi army. You took the risk last time and saved nearly 10,000 Feiyun troops. Even if Lu Chen is here now, I believe he can understand my difficulties. Of course we can lend a helping hand to the Qi army, but there is a prerequisite for this, that is, the Qi army will stand up first instead of letting us die in vain. "

He turned around and looked at his daughter, and said earnestly: "Xi'er, if you go to the capital of Qi, you may have a good impression of the emperor of Qi. I have also heard about some of his deeds, and his stupid and incompetent nature. Compared with Lao Tzu, he is indeed a good emperor. But no matter how good the emperor is, whether it is Qi or Jing, it makes no difference to us poor people. Sometimes we can cooperate with them according to the situation, but like us. You should never work for a certain court with such enthusiasm, remember? "

Lin Xi had a thousand twists and turns in her heart, and after a long time she asked: "Dad, what if it is our junior brother who wants us to send troops?"

Lin Jie smiled and said, "If he can keep his word, then that's not a bad idea."

"My daughter understands."

Lin Xi's expression gradually relaxed.

Lin Jie breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly: "It's not that you can't do some things, but it depends on whether it's worth it. No one wants to become the second Yang Guangyuan. This war has just begun, and many people haven't had time to make their debut. We might as well Let’s wait in the mountains to see what kind of turbulence will happen.”

Lin Xi's words made Lin Xi feel secretly in his heart, and he said softly: "Yes, daddy."

(End of this chapter)