Yang Nantian shuddered suddenly.
What does Zhao Lin mean?
Was it he who killed Ma Dada and Ma Changshan?
No, he meant to kill himself and then put the blame on the rebels.
I want to die like my brother Ma Dada.
With Fu Chengwang and Li Xingye as witnesses, even Eunuch Zhu would not be able to avenge himself.
Yang Nantian forced a smile and said, "Master Zhao, you are joking. These soldiers are yours. You can do whatever you want with them."
"Humph! Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this earlier?"
Zhao Lin was too lazy to pay attention to this brainless thing and shouted, "Everyone listen up, rest here, start a fire and cook, and in one hour, go into the mountains to quell the rebellion."
An hour later.
The soldiers were well fed and watered.
Zhao Lin put on his armor, held a spear, and personally led his troops into the mountains to suppress the bandits.
"Damn it!"
Yang Nantian cursed loudly in the tent.
The rebels were now at the end of their rope and had no other means left. It was the right time to defeat them, but Zhao Lin took advantage of the situation.
Zhao Lin ordered, "General Chen, let's stick to the previous plan. You will attack the rebels, and I will lead the troops to surround them. Once we have them surrounded on all sides, they won't be able to escape."
Chen Qifeng hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything, but he didn't accept the order immediately either.
Zhao Lin said: "No matter how many people are lost, we will give you more afterward. You can choose your own people and it won't be difficult for you to work with the ***."
Chen Qifeng then bowed and said, "I obey your command."
Zhao Lin then ordered the commanders of the left and right armies to encircle the rebels from both sides, and sent out all 3,000 men in the rear army to serve as scouts, ordering them to carefully search the marching route to ensure that there were no Tibetans anywhere. Then he personally led the central army forward slowly.
The reason why Yang Nantian fell into the trap was that he was too eager for quick success.
Zhao Lin was sure that Yang Nantian didn't send any scouts to search the surroundings, but instead focused his main energy on preventing the rebels from escaping. It would be strange if they were not ambushed.
really.
The thousand scouts spread out and plowed all around the marching route like a net, plowing out many hiding rebels.
By the time Zhao Lin led his troops to the scene, the vanguard led by Chen Qifeng had already started fighting with the rebels.
"General, this is not a good situation."
Chen Qifeng hurried over and said, "There's a master among the rebels. He's managed to organize this ragtag group and use the terrain to block us."
Zhao Lin asked in surprise: "Master?"
"Yes." Chen Qifeng said, "I heard that there is a military advisor among them who is good at making plans. The murder of the two Generals Ma was all his idea."
Zhao Lin nodded and said, "What is the specific situation?"
Chen Qifeng said, "The caves here are rugged and difficult to navigate, and some places are so narrow that only a few people can pass through at the same time. It's like a natural barrier where one man can hold a thousand men back. Although we have a large number of troops, we are restricted by the terrain and cannot fully utilize our strength. We have lost many men and horses."
Zhao Lin nodded and said, "Tell the brothers not to attack forcefully, just pretend to attack."
Chen Qifeng didn't understand why, but he still did as he was told.
After waiting for a while, a man suddenly emerged from a crack and ran towards Zhao Lin.
The officers and soldiers immediately surrounded the man, and Zhao Lin waved his hand to signal them to let him come over.
This is the person Song Huaian brought over.
"Sir, if we go this way, we can reach the heart of the rebels." said the man.
Zhao Lin asked, "How many people does Lao Debiao have under his command?"
"No less than five thousand."
The man replied, "Because of the two defeats against the imperial army, many rebels and refugees have joined Lao Debiao's forces, causing his army to increase rapidly. If it weren't for your lordship's quick arrival and Mr. Song's instigation, the rebels' strength could have at least doubled."
Ten thousand troops!
Zhao Lin was a little surprised.
No wonder Li Xingye and Fu Chengwang were so anxious that they couldn't wait for the court to send troops and urged Zhao Lin to send troops.
It hasn't been long since they gathered 10,000 troops.
If we wait for more people to be sent by the imperial court, we can gather at least another 10,000 people.
With 20,000 troops and geographical advantages, it is not so easy to defeat them.
Even if there is an insider, it will still cost a huge price.
Zhao Lin immediately ordered, "Chen Qifeng, take your men and follow this general to attack the rebels' heartland and capture the leader."
Chen Qifeng quickly said, "General, why bother taking the risk yourself? Just let me go."
Zhao Lin said, "How can this general let his brothers take risks in front of him while he hides in the back and enjoys himself?"
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Chen Qifeng's expression changed, but also the expressions of the officers and soldiers around him.
Now the soldiers and generals of the Daqi Dynasty are all very corrupt.
Take the benefits for yourself and let others take on the dangers.
It has almost become a routine.
In such an environment, it is rare for a civil servant like Zhao Lin to lead by example and go with the soldiers at the risk of his own life.
Sudi's eyes flashed beside him.
Chen Qifeng was moved and said, "General, I understand your intention, but the army needs you. Please let me go. I hereby pledge my allegiance to capture the bandit leader and present him to you."
Zhao Lin shook his head and said, "No. We are brothers. If we want to go, we should go together. Sudi, you will command for this general."
Sudi responded and said, "Be careful."
Zhao Lin nodded, jumped off his horse, picked up his spear, and followed the man.
Seeing this, Chen Qifeng stopped trying to persuade him and immediately ordered five hundred sword and shield soldiers to follow.
The crack is narrow and not many people can pass through.
If there are too many people, it will take too long and it will be easy to be exposed.
As long as we can successfully reach the enemy's heartland, five hundred people will be enough.
Walking along the rugged passage, Zhao Lin and others took more than half an hour to reach a spacious space.
"The rebel base is ahead, and Lao Debiao is inside."
The man leading the way pointed to the distance.
Zhao Lin took a look.
Naturally, there were no tents or anything like that in this cave; everything was in a mess.
Although everyone was sent out by Lao Debiao to defend against the attack of officers and soldiers, there were still a few hundred people here.
Zhao Lin said without further ado, "Everyone, it's time to make a name for yourself. Follow me and capture the bandit leader, and you'll be promoted and rich."
Zhao Lin picked up his spear and rushed towards Lao Debiao.
Chen Qifeng followed closely behind.
Those five hundred sword and shield soldiers were trained by Chen Qifeng himself.
Although they are not as powerful as the soldiers trained by Zhao Lin using scientific methods in his previous life, they are also rare elite soldiers.
"Officers and soldiers are all trash."
Lao Debiao said proudly: "I have killed two generals of the imperial court and injured one. What can the imperial court do to me? Look, I will capture the officers and soldiers alive this time and use them as sacrifices when we form an alliance."
Several leaders who came to take it praised it repeatedly.
"Lord Lao is truly formidable. The throne of emperor should be given to you."
"Thank you, Heavenly King, what are these mere officers and soldiers?"
"Follow Lord Lao and charge into Shengjing Prefecture, and we'll become high officials too."
The leaders were shouting nonsense.
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