In early July of the tenth year of Jinghan, in Yunzhou, Shandong.
Song Jiang and the other elites of Liangshan had been on the run in Yunzhou for half a month since the officers and soldiers attacked Liangshan Island in late June. After waking up from the madness in the first ten days or so, on the seventh day of July, the entire Liangshan army changed, bringing the situation into a relatively strange state of silence. In a sense, at least during this period of time, the Liangshan army, which was controlled by Wu Yong, Zhu Wu, and the others, had made several outstanding tactical applications.
From the battle of Lone Dragon Gang, when Liangshan was severely beaten down by Ning Yi from its peak state, to the time when less than ten percent of its personnel were on the run, what Liangshan faced was actually not just a miserable scene of being pushed down by others. At this time, the Lulin paid attention to morality. When Liangshan really fell into a low point, there were people who were willing to lend a helping hand at this time.
The Shandong area near the lake was considered one of the places where the government's power was the weakest, at least among the eastern and western roads of Shandong. There were many mountains in this area, and the people were fierce. Five or six people and seven or eight sabers dared to occupy a mountain and become a king. The flag of gathering that Liangshan had raised back then was actually very much to everyone's liking. When Liangshan burned and killed along the way in an attempt to accumulate resentment towards the government, many of these small mountain peaks began to view Liangshan with hostility. However, even more of them chose to remain silent, give in, and not help either side.
During the ten days that Song Jiang and the others had been on the run, some of the other leaders of the soldiers who had been driven away and scattered because of the battle of Liangshan had also been scattered throughout the entire Yunzhou and Ji Province. Among these people, some still wanted to meet up with Song Jiang and the other leaders, and some even made some friends. They wanted to go over and help Liangshan during this difficult period. At least during the ten days that Song Jiang had been on the run, there had been several groups of Lulin VIPs who had caught up with or met their team, wanting to join or provide help.
It was not that Song Jiang did not want to use these people, but he did not dare to. Because Ning Yi had too many tricks up his sleeves, they had suffered setbacks time and time again. Now that they had cleared out the army with great difficulty, who knew if these new recruits were arranged by Ning Yi?
Due to these considerations, he could only gratefully decline them. He said, "If we are able to escape from this disaster, we welcome you all to join us. But under such circumstances, it would not be good to implicate you all. I will remember your great kindness in my heart." So on and so forth. He spoke with sincerity, and everyone agreed that if they had any difficulties, they could just ask.
In fact, if he could solve the problem by opening his mouth, Song Jiang would not have been polite.
But after the sixth day of the seventh month, Wu Yong, Zhu Wu and the others skillfully made use of these scattered bandits scattered in the surrounding counties. This area was originally vast, sparsely populated and barren. Song Jiang and his men had been burning and killing along the way, so the army and the more than two thousand men from Lone Dragon Gang were able to keep up with them. When they gave up on burning and killing and tried their best to hide their tracks, or even split into two or three groups to escape, Ning Yi and his men had to spend more time to accurately grasp the enemy's tracks.
At the same time, a large amount of false information was also released by Liangshan. They sent people to contact the defeated soldiers and the leaders of the fleeing bandits in various places and issued various orders, hoping that they would provoke chaos or release information about where they were going to attack and get people to cooperate. These orders were not necessarily carried out by many people. But even if some people were willing to cooperate, when all kinds of information came back, the traces of Song Jiang and his men in the mountains around Yunzhou became blurred.
This situation continued for a few days. No matter who it was, Song Jiang and his men were going to make a big move. Superintendent Fang did not dare to be negligent. He ordered the remaining troops of the Wu Rui Battalion to go to Yunzhou as reinforcements. But even so, there were still a large number of areas in the nearby lakes and mountains for Song Jiang and his men to move around. What everyone could be sure of was only the information from half a day to a day ago. Even if they occasionally shortened this time, it would not be very meaningful.
In terms of tactics, it was very difficult for Ning Yi to be of much help under the current conditions. Although there were still a few spies in Song Jiang's team that could be used, Song Jiang had strengthened the monitoring of the leaders and soldiers. Secondly, during such a run, it was impossible for the two sides to contact each other, so there was no chance to control the spies.
More than 10,000 people chased more than 3,000 people in such a place where they had a relatively home-ground advantage. It was only a matter of time before they really caught them. If they were tough on this side, the other side's soldiers would definitely face a psychological breakdown. But everything needed time. Before that, they could only leave it to Superintendent Fang, He Rui, and Luan Tingyu to operate. As they waited with bated breath, on the 10th day of the New Year, they received news about Lu Hongti. For Ning Yi, it was really a stimulant in the boring wait. Wang Shanyue, Qi Xinhan, Zhu Biao, and the others also expressed their amazement.
"Liheng's master? He's actually so powerful? "
"How is this possible? Such an expert is actually …"
"Uh, if Brother Ning's master is so powerful, then … how on earth did he practice martial arts to such a level …"
When the news of this "master" who stood up for him came, other than envy and surprise, the first thing that was reflected was obvious contempt, which really made Ning Yi feel helpless.
In the past few days, he had taught Wang Shanyue some sinister methods. Wang Shanyue had already quite admired him and felt that a smart person was indeed a smart person. On Qi Xinhan and Zhu Biao's side, they also felt that this guy was sinister and vicious, and his various methods should not be underestimated. But after learning that he had such a powerful master, the corners of their mouths immediately twitched. Ning Yi could roughly understand what they were thinking. If my master was so powerful, why would I always use sinister methods to fight with others?!
For a moment, they regarded Ning Yi as a model who was unwilling to work hard to practice martial arts. They felt that smart people indeed had advantages and disadvantages. It was not easy for Ning Yi to explain, but when he thought of Lu Hongti, he felt warm in his heart, and in fact, he also felt a little emotional.
"Uh … when I fought with her before, she didn't seem to be so powerful …"
When he muttered this sentence in front of Zhu Biao and the others, they all looked at him with contempt, and he could only smile. In fact, in front of Lu Hongti, whether his martial arts skills were high or low probably didn't matter to her. It was no wonder that she always said that he was second-rate or third-rate. This grandmaster level expert fought with him, accompanied him on moves and tricks, and was really accommodating to him.
Of course, if he was really a martial arts fanatic, and put all his energy into martial arts, Miss Lu would definitely urge him to become a first-class expert. But in her eyes, in the end, saving the world and the people was the number one priority. No matter how good his martial arts skills were, fighting a hundred people was still not as good as fighting ten thousand people.
Thinking about it again, to be able to practice martial arts to this level at such a young age, the hardships she faced in Lu Liang Mountain were probably even more than he imagined. Every time he thought about this, he felt warm and could not help but sigh.
The contempt of Zhu Biao and the others towards him was, of course, a joke after they were familiar with each other. If they were really a little more knowledgeable, they would know that he did not have a solid foundation when he was young. At this time, the more than two thousand people in Dulonggang were still following Song Jiang around, unable to care about the commotion in the forest. Ning Yi could only ask Luan Tingyu if there was any danger over there, and then he talked about Iron Arm Zhou Dong. Luan Tingyu's martial arts skills were high, and he was Zhou Dong's junior brother, but when it came to the world's number one, he also shook his head, indicating that he didn't know much.
"When I first learned martial arts, I was still young and much worse than him. But when it comes to senior and junior brothers, there is a connection, but in fact, it can't be taken seriously. When we martial arts masters travel the world, who doesn't want to learn a thing or two when we meet a powerful person to teach us? Before the age of thirty, I had seven masters, and their martial arts skills varied. When I was successful and could fight my way to the sky, I stopped. Of course, there were also those who learned from a famous master, from the beginning to the end, but in fact, after they graduated, they still had to travel around and learn from each other. As far as I know, Senior Brother Zhou really learned martial arts in Shaolin, and he received the teachings of Master Tan Zhengfang. After I came to Shandong, I no longer had any contact with him. But he became a coach in the Imperial Boxing School, and he was more familiar with Junior Brother Sun Li, who was also an official. "
Luan Tingyu's martial arts skills were high, but he was impulsive and modest. When it came to martial arts, he laughed, "At this level, there is a gap, and there is a big gap in fighting. If that Miss Lu really has Senior Brother Zhou's martial arts skills and doesn't want to fight, she can come and go as she pleases. Who can stop her? "
After saying this, he added, "It's just that human strength is limited. No matter how strong one's martial arts is, one will get tired, or if one's luck is bad, these things are hard to say. I can only say … it should be okay. "
Lu Hongti naturally did not rely on luck to survive on Luliang Mountain, especially when she encountered the chaotic battle of the Liao people. To be able to survive, she must be much more vigilant than the average person. Ning Yi was slightly relieved. As long as he dealt with Song Jiang and the others, he could immediately go over to meet her.
At this time, he remembered that Lu Zhishen was dead, and he thought of Lin Chong. He hurriedly asked Luan Tingyu if there was anyone else in the world who was as powerful as Zhou Dong, or if Zhou Dong would avenge his disciple. Luan Tingyu had a strange look on his face.
"Martial arts skills can only be known after a fight, and grandmasters are just called out. How would I know who is more powerful … but speaking of avenging his disciple. Zhou Dong teaches martial arts in the Imperial Boxing School. Every year, there are at least a hundred disciples who apprentice to him, if not eighty. Even if it's more formal disciples, I heard that there are several young princes and marquises in the capital who apprenticed to him. If a disciple can't join the army after being taught, he will most likely enter the underworld. North, Qilu, Heshuo, Jiangnan, there are no places without his disciples. Shi Wengong, Lu Junyi, Lin Chong, and the others were mostly taught by him. At most, it's just a memory … "
Luan Tingyu sighed. "What's more, he has been practicing martial arts all his life. He wants to go into battle and kill the enemy, but martial artists are looked down upon. He has made a big name for himself in the capital and is the best in the world, but the imperial court has never used him. I heard that when he left, he was already disheartened. How could he come to find trouble with the government for some fallen disciples? If he really did meet them, it would be considered lenient if he didn't personally clean up the sect … "
The two of them discussed these matters for a while, and then discussed the intentions of Song Jiang and the others before separating. Zhu Biao came over and asked curiously about his master's age, whether he was beautiful, and so on. Ning Yi scolded him a few times and said, "Your girl is behind you. She's in a bad mood. Go and pick up your own girl."
Zhu Biao was already used to his strange words, but he didn't understand what he meant. "What do you mean by pick up?"
"It's a pursuit. Make her happy, and she can't leave you …" Ning Yi explained.
"Then I don't need to pick her up. We're already engaged. I know she's in a bad mood, so I've already told her that I'll definitely take Song Jiang's head, for … uh, for everyone."
"Women aren't like this. You have to coax them." This guy was a little stubborn. Ning Yi was helpless against him, so he explained the importance of coaxing women. After listening, Zhu Biao thought for a while and left the carriage. The boy was worth teaching. Ning Yi was quite appreciative of his attitude.
When it was time to set up camp in the evening, Ning Yi went out for a stroll and saw Zhu Biao chatting with Su Wenyu, Qi Xinhan, and the others. "Big Brother Ning is very smart, but he's too sentimental. As a man, how can he coax women …"
"Yes, that's what my second brother-in-law is like …" Su Wenyu nodded in agreement and waved his hand. "He's always talking about picking up girls. Actually, let me tell you, I don't think he knows how to pick up girls at all …"
The few of them stood there and laughed arrogantly …
…
After the day passed, in the early morning of the 11th of July, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Groups of people advanced in the dark mountains.
Yan Qing ran in the middle of the army formation. His gaze swept across the surroundings in the darkness, revealing the outline of grass, stones, and trees. He was a little anxious. They were nearing the foothills.
After crossing the foothills, the wind was blowing, and the scenery stretched out in front of him. In the valley below, a small river meandered through. The sparse spots of light formed the outline of a small county.
"Brother Yan."
Someone came up from the side. It was Hua Rong.
"We're finally here. After turning around for so long, they definitely wouldn't have thought …"
The wind blew through the mountains. When the sky slightly brightened, a cool white mist lingered in the air. Outside the small county, people went out to fetch water. On the road, a group of more than ten merchants came over. When they passed through the city gate, they were questioned.
After a while, someone on the city gate suddenly gave a warning. At the city gate, the merchants suddenly pulled out their swords. Blood splashed in the morning fog. Between the foothills on both sides of the road, a sea of people rushed down like a mad dragon.
On the 11th of July, after leading the soldiers for a few days, the people of Liangshan made a feint and turned east. They took Fengping County, which only had about 6,000 residents. Under the slogan of avenging the brothers Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui, they killed hundreds of people from the He family in the county. After that, they set the county on fire and fled north. Under the situation where the entire strategic situation in Yunzhou was constantly tightening, the operation on the tactical level successfully gave Wu Ruiying, Ning Yi, and the others a fierce show of strength.
The people of Liangshan might not dare to slaughter a county, but for the government, it was a deterrent that could not be ignored. In the afternoon of the 12th of July, the people of Liangshan appeared outside Raoping County. Probably because they felt that the price of taking down the county was too high, they made a feint and left again. These two gestures successfully pinned Wu Ruiying's troops in the vicinity. Taking advantage of Wu Ruiying's moment of hesitation, more than 3,000 people decisively turned around and crossed the mountains. On the night of the 13th of July, they went straight for their final goal!
The decisive battle was here.
*****
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