Chapter 069 Ignite and Attack the Mountain
While Wu Quan was rushing to the villa, Ruan Qinghuan and others had already arrived at Wangyue Mountain. The mountain had been almost cleaned up and all the victims were gathered together. However, everyone was confused and felt that something big must have happened.
Qian Yunxi comforted everyone, and everyone gradually calmed down.
Ruan Qinghuan first handed the token to Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming took the token. His master had instructed him earlier to request reinforcements when he saw the token. He did not dare to delay and mounted his horse and quickly headed towards the southern path.
A brave man among the people asked, "Sir, you have gathered us here, but will you let us go home once the dam is built?"
Ruan Qinghuan handed Zimo to Xia Lian and said, "Fellow villagers, the dike downstream has been built, and it will take some time to repair the houses. You cannot go back for the time being. We gathered everyone here today because we have to rush to Qinghe Village."
Qinghe Village?
It’s not far from here, but what are they doing there?
"Don't worry, folks. You will be able to return home in three to five days at most." Ruan Qinghuan could not mention the matter of private soldiers. Although He'an and Ji Lingchuan had made careful plans, nothing is perfect. They could only take more precautions. Wangyue Mountain is not far from Xifeng Cliff. Once a fight really breaks out, the victims may be affected.
He looked handsome and heroic in a red cape, which made people feel at ease. Some of the disaster victims were aware of the situation in Lu City. Seeing a group of soldiers coming this way, they guessed something in their hearts and could not help but look towards Xifeng Cliff.
In recent years, natural disasters have occurred repeatedly in the lower reaches of Lucheng, and life is indeed difficult, but even in the early years when there were no disasters, life was equally difficult.
At that time, every autumn harvest, the beasts on Xifeng Cliff would break into the village to snatch food. If they didn't give it to the villagers, they would beat them. They didn't take lives, but many were maimed.
This is also the reason why young people in Lucheng go out to make a living. Natural disasters and man-made disasters have made life too difficult.
In less than an hour, the large group of soldiers arrived at the foot of Wangyue Mountain. The general in silver armor dismounted and walked up the mountain. When he arrived in front of Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li, he bowed and said, "I am Zhou Dafu, and I have met the prime minister's wife and Miss Chu."
"General Zhou and I are extremely grateful for coming to protect these civilians." Ruan Qinghuan had heard He'an mention this man. He had served as a deputy general under the Duke of Chu. After pacifying the border war, he stayed in Ningcheng and became a garrison general.
Mobilizing the Ningcheng garrison this time was tantamount to crossing the territorial boundary, but this was also a last resort. Neither the Zhenjiang prefect nor the Lucheng county magistrate could be trusted. Without reliable people, this battle would be too risky.
Zhou Dafu cupped his hands and said, "As a general, it is my duty to protect the country and the people."
Chu Li chuckled: "I haven't seen you for a few years. Zhou Dafu, you have changed a lot. After becoming a general, you have become very serious. I can hardly recognize you."
Zhou Dafu looked embarrassed. As a general, he had to put on some airs. Otherwise, how could he obey the people?
He felt embarrassed: "Time is running out. Qinghe Village is ready. Let's get up immediately."
"good."
On the way, Chu Li chatted with Zhou Dafu. He used to be a deputy general under his father. After suppressing the Nanman war, his father recommended him to be the general of Ningcheng garrison.
Thousands of disaster victims arrived at Qinghe Village just as it was getting dark. Before they set off, they left people behind to arrange tents so that the tired villagers could rest directly.
Zhou Dafu looks like a rough man, but he acts cautiously and thoughtfully.
Qian Yunxi also came here with the disaster victims. After settling down, he prepared dinner with some village women. Ruan Qinghuan stood beside the small river in the village, looking towards the west.
The forest in the distance was like a natural barrier, blocking her anxious sight. She couldn't see Xifeng Cliff from here, and she didn't know how the adults and Ji Lingchuan were doing now.
In Lucheng, Wu Quan suffered a great loss in the villa, and none of the twenty people he brought with him came out. Fortunately, he was waiting outside, and when he saw the situation was not good, he galloped on his horse and finally escaped from the city and headed straight for Xifeng Cliff. When he was halfway there, he suddenly changed direction.
He still hasn't figured it out. The Second Prince wrote to him a few days ago, asking him not to act rashly. Could it be that he didn't notice anything wrong in the capital?
While he was daydreaming, Ji Lingchuan had already led his men to overturn six grain storages of the Wu family. The amount of stored grain was huge, enough to feed the disaster-stricken people downstream for more than half a year. He ordered people to transport all the grain to the county government and appointed a young general to take over the affairs of the county government temporarily.
In just one night, the situation in Lu City changed. A large number of soldiers seemed to have descended from the sky and surrounded the county government office. All the officials were not allowed to enter or leave at will.
The drizzle was still falling, and the people were privately guessing what had happened. There were soldiers stationed at the county government, so it must be a big deal.
It was pitch black on the West Wind Cliff in the night. If you listened carefully, you could hear a faint rustling sound and the sound of horse hooves coming from far away. Ji Lingchuan's armor still reflected light in the moonless night.
He stood side by side with He An: "Everything is ready. Once we take over Xifeng Cliff, our soldiers can have a good meal when they return to the city."
He An didn't say anything. The darkness covered his solemn expression. Ji Lingchuan realized something was wrong: "Is there a problem?"
"With 20,000 private soldiers, the security must be very strict. Xie Zitang's topographic map is enough to prove this point. However, two groups of people have already been sent up, but there is still no movement. Something is wrong."
Ji Lingchuan frowned when he heard this: "You mean, our actions have been exposed?"
He An shook his head: "Not necessarily. We acted carefully and the other party would definitely take precautions. But I can't figure out what went wrong for the time being."
Ji Lingchuan: “…”
After He An said this, Ji Lingchuan also realized that something was wrong. Private soldiers were different from bandits. They should be more mobile and their defenses should be more rigorous: "They won't, they should have moved ahead of time."
He An's eagle-like eyes narrowed, and after thinking for a moment, he suddenly gave an order: "Light the fire and attack the mountain."
At He'an's command, hundreds of torches lit up at the same time, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. At the same time, there was finally movement in the deep mountains that had been silent all the time, and soon, the sound of killing was heard from above.
Ji Lingchuan shouted coldly: "You are hiding in the depths to delay time."
Seeing that He An still looked unhappy, Ji Lingchuan thought he was worried about winning or losing: "Don't worry, they have no food and no way out. At most one day, someone will surrender."
Ji Lingchuan personally led 50,000 elite soldiers this time. Hiding in Lucheng for half a month became the biggest problem, but fortunately he finally made it.
He An knew this, but he felt something was wrong. His eyes suddenly trembled as he pondered, "How many soldiers are there in Qinghe Village?"
"Three thousand or so." Ji Lingchuan replied.
Three thousand is actually a lot. Qinghe Village is suitable for defense. Even if there is an accident, three thousand soldiers can handle it. After all, a large number of private soldiers are in Xifeng Cliff.
He An finally realized what was wrong. The private soldiers of Xifeng Cliff were fearless. If they had not taken the initiative to attack, they would not have acted rashly. This showed that they had other purposes.
Perhaps, some people were placed among the disaster victims, and the purpose was naturally to control them.
"Qinghe Village!" He An shouted and turned his horse around and left. Ji Lingchuan realized that something was wrong and quickly guessed He An's intention of rushing to Qinghe Village. Could it be that these beasts were delaying time in order to control the victims?