Chapter 398 Smuggling into the city
The next day, Wang Dashan and the others finally came back.
But they brought bad news. The Daqian team captured two cities along the way and were heading this way.
"They are about ten thousand people, and they are still five or six days away from us, but the cavalry can arrive in two or three days." Wang Dashan drank water and said: "The Guizhou army is also strange. They did not go to other places. They seemed to be heading straight to our place." side."
Jiang Sanlang said: "I guess he wants to join up with King Cheng's rebels."
"How good is this?" Patriarch Chen said with a worried look on his face: "The wheat in our fields has not yet been confiscated."
Old Man Jiang took a puff of his pipe and sighed: "Maybe those people just want our food."
Ten thousand people are dispatched, and they consume no less than 8,000 kilograms of food every day. How can they not rob the people along the way?
Maybe even some strong men will be captured to work for them.
Patriarch Chen was even more anxious: "Then what can we wait for? Hurry up and run away."
Jiang Sanlang shook his head, "Where to run? There are wars everywhere now, and nowhere is safe."
"Alas!" Old Man Jiang sighed: "It would be great if our village was built like a county wall. At least we can defend it until reinforcements arrive."
Ying Bao, who had been standing aside for a long time, suddenly said: "Dad, I want to go to the county town."
Jiang Sanlang was stunned: "What are you doing in the county town?"
"Captain Cao has ill intentions towards us and must be eliminated." Ying Bao said expressionlessly.
Jiang Sanlang immediately stood up, dragged his daughter outside, and whispered: "What you little kid says about whether to get rid of her or not is an adult's business."
My daughter is still a child. If someone thinks she is a cruel person, how will she find her husband's family in the future?
Ying Bao said seriously: "This matter must be cut quickly. Dad, don't worry, I will definitely kill Cao Shen."
Without the long sword, she might not be sure, but with the magic weapon Golden Scythe, she could kill all of Cao Shen's hundreds of men, not to mention killing one Cao Shen.
"As long as we capture the county seat and close the city gates, the Guizhou army will not be able to do anything." Ying Bao said firmly: "Moreover, Cao Shen has already committed murder in the county seat. The people of the county seat and some wealthy merchants must hate him. It's deep in our bones that as long as we use emotion and reason, they will definitely help us defend the city with all their strength."
Jiang Sanlang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay! But you can't do it alone, why not ask Wang Dashan and Chen Zhu to bring some people with you, and I will go too. It's easier to do things with more people."
"Dad, you can't go." Yingbao refused: "At home, ask the villagers to harvest the grain quickly, just cut the ears of wheat, and deal with the rest later. Transport the grain and livestock to the depths of the Beishan Mountains and hide them. Take the old and the weak as well. Don't Stay in the village.”
The Guizhou army is not like bandits. They are here to regain the territory of the city. They must not have time to search for people all over the mountains and plains. Therefore, the depths of Beishan are a good place to take refuge.
Jiang Sanlang was still worried, but Ying Bao insisted and let him stay in the village to resettle the villagers.
In the end, Jiang Sanlang had to agree with his daughter's suggestion.
Later, Yingbao selected more than 20 people to go to the county town with her.
More than 20 people, using three carriages and several mules and horses, rushed to the county seat overnight.
The post stations along the way were deserted, and the post soldiers and post officials inside either fled or were killed by Cao Shen.
Cao Shen also took away all the mules, horses and other belongings, leaving a dark and empty courtyard inside.
More than 20 people traveled all night and finally arrived near the county seat in the early morning.
Ying Bao and others did not step forward easily, but watched in the woods in the distance.
At this time, the gate of the county seat was closed, but someone was keeping watch on the tower.
Chen Zhu: "It seems that they have closed the city gate."
"How do we get in?" one person asked.
Yingbao said: "Take the water route."
"Waterway? But we don't know how to swim in the water. And it's daytime, so there must be someone guarding the waterway."
Every county has a flowing water source, and Qinchuan County is no exception. This river is also the lifeblood of the entire county.
"You guys stay here, I'll go in via the waterway." Ying Bao was dressed in a black shorts, dressed like a young man, and her face was painted with pot ash by her mother, making her look very funny.
Chen Zhu frowned and looked at Ying Bao: "Can you do it alone?"
"Okay! If I succeed, I will wave my coat as a signal." Ying Bao pulled out a red coat from nowhere, "This is it. If you see it, hurry to the city gate. I will find a way to open the city gate."
She took out another white piece of clothing from her bag: "If I wave this, you will run away quickly, return to the village immediately, and lead the villagers into Beishan."
Chen Zhu and Wang Dashan were silent for a moment and finally nodded.
After Ying Bao finished explaining, she turned around and ran towards the river.
Half an hour later, she ran to the river, cut some willow branches, wove a scrawled coir raincoat and put it on her body.
I cut a few more reeds and made a few tubes for breathing in the water.
Then he came near the city wall and quietly got into the water.
Yingbao clamped her nose with a clamp, held the reed tube in her mouth, and slowly swam under the water.
It wasn't until she was well past the guard's inspection point that she emerged from the water.
After finding a deserted place to climb ashore, Ying Bao immediately went into the cave to rest for a while, then came out in a pair of boy's clothes.
I grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and smeared it on my face so that no one could tell she was a girl, and then I went to the market.
She wanted to find out where Cao Shen stayed at night.
There were very few people on the streets of the county town, and everyone was in a hurry.
There are also people who set up stalls to sell goods, but they are all very cautious.
Yingbao took out her copper coins and bought a piece of cake to eat. She also bought a bamboo basket from a bamboo shop and put it on her arm.
Return to the cake seller again and buy all his sesame cakes.
Then she walked slowly towards the hook fence with the bamboo basket in her arms.
On the way, someone wanted to buy her sesame cakes, so Yingbao sold some. Finally, she came to the teahouse outside Goulan and walked in to sell sesame cakes.
Today there are no storytellers and there are only a few teagoers, but there are still a few busybodies whispering something.
Ying Bao leaned over and stood nearby to eavesdrop.
"The silk shop on East Street was robbed last night, and all the cloth in the shop was moved away. Do you think it was the people from the Yamen who did it again?"
"Who knows, anyway, the world is in chaos, and good people will not live long and will cause trouble for thousands of years."
"No, alas, I don't know when the imperial court will send troops. If the city gate continues to be closed every day, our people will be harmed by those people sooner or later."
Several people drank tea and sighed for a while, and then another person said: "Recently, even the mother of Yihonglou has begun to complain, saying that the ladies in her family have been given free tickets. A high-ranking official does not pay for the tickets. It is really unprecedented." No one comes."
Another person said: "What's so strange about this? Not to mention Yihongyuan, he is the top performer in Wuchunyuan, so why don't he just play for free? It is said that Cao County Captain is having a banquet tonight and specially sent someone to inform Wuchunyuan. The squad leader asked him to select a few dancers who are proficient in Hu Xuan dance, saying that he wants to entertain a noble person."
"Is it true?" A person stretched his neck and asked: "Where is he entertaining guests? Can we take a look?"
Another person rolled his eyes at him: "Of course he is in the county government. At this time, can he entertain guests in a teahouse and restaurant?"