Although there were no exact statistics on the number of Horse Gangs that frequently appeared in Summer Province, the total number was definitely not large. The total population here was only 30,000 to 50,000 people, and there were only a few thousand merchants. They could not support too many Horse Gangs, and to eliminate a small number of Horse Gangs, it would be like killing a chicken with a butcher's knife. It was completely unnecessary.
Although Ang Lee only had 300 guards under his command, there were already 8,000 soldiers and horses in Summer Province. With so many soldiers and horses, the total number of soldiers and horses would definitely exceed that of the Horse Gangs. It was enough to eliminate the Horse Gangs. There was really no need to send more soldiers and horses, which would cause a waste of resources.
After receiving Ang Lee's reply, the Emperor thought for a moment and felt that it made sense. There were not many Horse Gangs, and they were a group of people who did evil things like robbery. They were a group of people who were unpopular and had no possibility of fighting for the throne. It was only a matter of time before they were eliminated. There was no need to rush. Naturally, he agreed to Ang Lee's request.
However, the Emperor was still a little worried. He felt that he should at least send less elite troops to support Xia Province, such as the newly formed rapid reaction force. This newly formed force used the latest weapons and the best defensive equipment. However, these were nothing. The most important thing was that this force had very convenient means of transportation and was very mobile. It was much more mobile than the cavalry. It was most suitable to be used to chase and annihilate the enemy cavalry.
The vehicle that this force rode in was the all-terrain vehicle that Ang Lee had studied some time ago. This vehicle looked very small and could only accommodate six people at most. However, its advantage was that it was very adaptable to the terrain. Whether it was a flat road, a bumpy mountain, or a swamp full of mud, it could travel very quickly. Therefore, it had a very interesting name, all-terrain vehicle. The literal meaning of the all-terrain vehicle was that it could travel in any terrain. This was obviously a little exaggerated, but its ability to travel was indeed much stronger than cavalry.
For example, in a swamp, the hooves of a warhorse would definitely get stuck, but an all-terrain vehicle would not get stuck in the mud. When encountering a deep river, a warhorse would not be able to cross it, but an all-terrain vehicle could easily cross it like a boat. Thus, it could appear in front of the enemy unexpectedly and catch them off guard.
Therefore, if there were all-terrain vehicles, the cavalry would no longer have any advantage. No matter where they ran, they would eventually be caught and annihilated.
Because the all-terrain vehicles had not been developed for a long time, the first batch of mass-produced vehicles was less than two hundred, which could only equip about a thousand men. Therefore, the first rapid reaction force was made up of a thousand men. This number was indeed not enough, but it was enough to chase after the enemy, especially the Horse Gang. This number of troops was more than enough.
"I'm still a little worried, so I have to send some troops up north. How's the training of the first battalion of the newly formed Flying Cloud Cavalry going?"
Li Longji asked Chen Xuanli as he looked at him.
Chen Xuanli answered honestly, "Your Majesty, the first battalion of the newly formed Flying Cloud Cavalry is training day and night. It's definitely not a problem to use it to annihilate the Horse Gang. I'm willing to personally lead the first battalion of the Flying Cloud Cavalry to the Summer Province to assist Assistant Minister Li in annihilating the Horse Gang as soon as possible."
Old Chen was naturally unwilling to miss such a good opportunity that he had been waiting for. It was really boring to stay in the capital all day. Even a normal person would fall sick from boredom. If he went to the Summer Province to annihilate the Horse Gang, not only would he be able to relax his body and mind, but he would also be able to obtain a military job. It would be very beneficial to him, so why not?
"Immediately call back to Assistant Minister Li and tell him that I'm sending the first battalion of the Flying Cloud Cavalry to the Summer Province. This troop will be under Assistant Minister Li's command."
Li Longji ordered.
The telegram was sent quickly. When Ang Lee saw it, he smiled slightly.
"It seems like Your Majesty is still a little worried. You actually sent the first battalion of the newly formed Flying Cloud Cavalry over. Fortunately, there are only a thousand soldiers, so it's not a big target. One train will be enough to accommodate them. "
Ang Lee said helplessly.
The Emperor insisted on sending the troops over because he was worried about Ang Lee's safety. After all, Ang Lee was a very important person who could not be lost. The Emperor needed Ang Lee very much, so he naturally could not neglect Ang Lee's safety.
"The first battalion of the Flying Cloud Cavalry has a total of a thousand elite soldiers. This is a token of Your Majesty's goodwill. It's also a good thing for us! With an additional thousand soldiers, annihilating the Horse Gang will be easier. "
Li Hanlu felt that this was a good thing. This represented the Emperor's concern and love for Ang Lee. He was afraid that something would happen to Ang Lee.
Flying Cloud Cavalry is a rapid-attack troop that has just been formed. It will play a very important role in our fight against the Horse Gang. However, it is indeed a little overkill. Besides, what we lack the most now when we fight against the Horse Gang isn't soldiers. Instead, we don't know how many people the Horse Gang has and where their exact lair is. These are the things we urgently need to know. As long as we know the situation, it will be easy to annihilate the Horse Gang. We won't need to send additional soldiers over. However, since it is His Majesty's kind intention, we can only agree to it. However, before we discover the Horse Gang's lair, it will be better for this troop to not appear. Let's hide them first and use them when we need them.
We'll use them when the time comes. "It was obvious that Ang Lee intended to investigate the enemy's situation first. After he figured out the specific situation of the Horse Gang, he would send his soldiers and horses to annihilate the Horse Gang. It was definitely impossible to run around like headless flies. Even if the Flying Cloud Cavalry had super mobility, it would be futile before they figured out the Horse Gang's movements. In war, having intelligence was the most important thing. Nothing was more important than intelligence. Only by figuring out the enemy's intelligence could they defeat them easily.
"Send a message back to His Majesty. The first battalion of the Flying Cloud Cavalry will enter the Summer Province quietly. We must not make a big fuss to avoid alerting the Horse Gang. Only by taking them by surprise can we win."
Ang Lee said.
Soon, the Emperor replied and agreed to Ang Lee's request. He ordered a thousand soldiers of the Flying Cloud Cavalry to leave for the Summer Province secretly.
It took a lot of time for the telegram to and fro. By the time the last telegram was sent, it was already dark. Ang Lee was concerned about the situation in the inn, so he went to check it out personally.
After a day of dispersing, the strange smell in the three rooms was much smaller. It was obviously not uncomfortable to stand in there.
"How is it? How's the situation? Did you find anything out of the ordinary? "
As soon as Ang Lee arrived, he asked about the situation with great concern.
A soldier replied, "Assistant Minister Li, we took turns to keep watch on the roof. At dusk, the sisters went back to their room and never came out again. We couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."
Ang Lee nodded and requested, "You must keep your eyes peeled and keep a close watch on them. Also, have you arranged the places that the sisters will pass through on their way?"
"Assistant Minister Li, everything has been arranged. Our men are everywhere along the way, and they are all hiding in the dark. They won't be discovered. As long as they come into contact with others, we will know," the soldier replied.
"Well done.
You've done a good job. That's how we should do it. There must be something wrong with these two women. Keep a close watch on them and don't let your guard down. "
Ang Lee said.
"Yes."
Ang Lee didn't know how effective the observation at night would be. He didn't know if he could see people's faces with binoculars, so he personally climbed to the roof, picked up the binoculars in the soldier's hand, and looked at the opposite street.
Because after dark, the light was very dim. If one didn't use binoculars, one could almost only see the shadows of people. With binoculars, one could clearly see a person's figure, walking movements, and even what kind of clothes they were wearing. These could all be seen clearly, but one's face couldn't be seen clearly. After all, the light was too dim, and it was impossible to see a person's face clearly.
Although it was already dark and the city gate of Summer State City was closed, the bustling streets in the city were still very lively. There were also many pedestrians shopping, so naturally, there were many merchants doing small businesses on the streets. Every small business merchant, in order to attract customers and facilitate business, needed to provide the most basic lighting. Lanterns were indispensable. Otherwise, how could they do business in the dark?
At night in Chang 'an City, there were street lamps everywhere, especially in the most prosperous areas. The light was so abundant that it almost caught up with the daytime. However, in Summer State City, the conditions were much more difficult. Apart from the lights in the government office, only the most prosperous main streets were equipped with street lamps. Moreover, the distance between them was quite far and the lighting time was relatively short. The lights were not turned on as soon as the sky turned dark. Instead, they would be turned on an hour later. After midnight, the lights would be extinguished. This was also done to save resources. After all, the financial allocation of Summer State City was far worse than that of the capital. There was not enough money to support too many expenses. It was better to save as much as possible. This way, it could better highlight the beauty and prosperity of the capital.
"Not bad, the effect is not bad. Summer State City can only be like this. If it were the capital, the city would be brightly lit at this time. You can see people's faces clearly. "
Ang Lee said in a low voice.
However, as soon as his voice fell, the light on the street brightened a little. Upon closer inspection, the street lamps were turned on. However, the wattage of the street lamps here was too low, and the distance between them was a little wide. Therefore, the lighting effect wasn't very good, and it still made it difficult for Ang Lee to see the faces of passers-by.
As the street lamps were turned on, some small peddlers directly extinguished their lanterns. They would use the free street lamps provided by the imperial court to light themselves up so that they could do small business smoothly. Therefore, most of the peddlers were gathered under the street lamps.
Some street lamps had two or three peddlers gathered under them, and some street lamps were occupied by one peddler. In short, there wasn't a single street lamp on the street. All the street lamps were occupied by peddlers selling snacks and small goods.
This kind of scattered peddlers didn't exist in the capital. Although the peddlers on the streets of the capital also used street lamps to illuminate themselves, the density of the street lamps in the capital was very high, and the light was very uniform. Therefore, there was no need to fight for a position at all. As long as one stood on the street, there was enough light at any position.
"The street lamps in Summer State City are really too dim. There are so many taxes every year. Can't they be improved a little?"
Ang Lee said casually.
The infrastructure of a city was not only related to the income of the city, but also to the ruler and officials of the city. When the local officials had the financial funds to allocate, they could choose to spend more on this aspect or other aspects.
For example, the financial funds of two cities were the same. If the officials of one city liked to build roads, they would take out a large sum of money to build roads. The roads in this city would be better, and the funds in other aspects would be relatively less. On the other hand, the officials of another city might like to build schools. In this way, the cultural quality of the people in this city would be higher, and there would be more talents in the future.
In short, the funds that a city could get were limited. If they spent more on one aspect, they would spend less on other aspects. If they encountered a corrupt official, the expenses in all aspects would be very low, and the city's various infrastructures would be in a terrible state.
Either the financial funds of Summer State City were too little, or the local officials had embezzled them. Otherwise, why would the infrastructure of the entire city be so terrible? There were many cracks on the roads, and there were very few street lamps. The hard road outside the city only led to five miles outside the city gate. The rest were ordinary dirt roads, and the transportation facilities were extremely backward.
Ang Lee didn't come to Summer State to fight against corruption, so he didn't want to meddle in other people's business. The most important thing was to see the scenery and eliminate the Horse Gang.
Ang Lee kept adjusting the angle of the binoculars in his hand, looking at the entire street opposite. Finally, when he aimed the binoculars at the door of the Lotus sisters' residence, he found that the door was actually open. This immediately surprised Ang Lee.
After gently pressing down on the binoculars, Ang Lee saw a woodcutter with firewood on his back. He paused for a moment, and then followed Lotus through the door.
"Did you see clearly just now? Which direction did the woodcutter come from? East or west?"
Ang Lee asked.
"He came from the west."
A soldier said.
"He came from the west. It seems that he came in from the west gate. When he leaves later, he will definitely go to the west. Do you remember his general appearance?"
Ang Lee looked at a soldier and asked.
"I saw it clearly, especially the wooden stick he carried on his back. As long as we see it on the road, we will definitely recognize it."
The soldier replied.
"Good, immediately go near the west gate. Once you meet this woodcutter, follow him quietly. You don't have to follow him for too long. Make sure you are not discovered."
Ang Lee ordered.
: Yes. :
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