In the cold winter, every family was celebrating the New Year.
In the west of Fushun, Changshan Village was also bustling with noise and excitement. There were dozens of families and hundreds of residents living in the village. At this moment, they were also celebrating the New Year happily. This village was one of the Ming Dynasty's Fushun border defense system. Commander Gao Ba, who was stationed here, was holding a glass of wine in his own courtyard and shouted loudly: "Brothers, are you happy today?"
"Happy." In the courtyard, more than ten soldiers and corporals were sitting around two big tables, eating with grease dripping from their mouths. Seeing their family's commander raising his glass, they also stood up to congratulate him.
Commander Gao Ba pulled up a person beside him and said happily: "This time, everyone can have a good New Year, all thanks to the happy business deal the day before yesterday. This happy business is all because of my nephew's good guidance. Come, everyone, give him a toast. "
Facing the vulgar soldiers whose beards were stained with vegetable juice and whose cuffs were smeared with grease, the young man who was pulled up was embarrassed. However, the soldiers did not care and all raised their wine glasses and shouted: "Young Master Ximen's idea is good, this business deal is profitable."
The person who was pulled up was Ximen Ai, who had recently caused trouble for Zhou Qingfeng. This young master was originally chosen by Ma Chaitou, who wanted to use 'Crafty Sting' to get close to Zhou Qingfeng and attack him. But before Ximen Ai could agree, Master Zhou came to kill him.
Fleeing home in panic, Ximen Ai learned the next day that Ma Chaitou's house was on fire and his entire family was burned to death. Although he did not understand the reason behind this, he was scared to death. He was worried that he would be retaliated against, so he even abandoned his parents and father and hurriedly escaped from Fushun city to the countryside to avoid disaster.
Within a few days, his relatives in the city sent news to Ximen Ai, saying that he had suddenly left and there was no one to take care of him at home. His father died of illness in less than two days, his mother was repeatedly beaten and hanged herself, and the evil servants in the family stole the house and land deeds and sold all of his family's property.
Ximen Ai felt as if he was struck by lightning, but he was panic-stricken and helpless. He cursed the traitor Zhou for being malicious, for killing his parents, and cursed his relatives for being despicable, for seizing his family business. Now that he had no one to rely on, he could only come to his uncle's house in this Changshan Fort to ask for a place to stay. His uncle was the general of this Changshan Fort, with twenty or thirty people under his command, as well as dozens of military families farming here.
When Admiral Gao learned that his sister and brother-in-law were killed, he loved his nephew very much and let him stay in the castle. But how could the dignified Elementary Scholar of Fu Shun tolerate this? After Ximen Ai settled down, he thought about revenge every day and every night. He wrote several letters to his schoolmates, and also asked someone to ask for help from his teacher in Shenyang. However, all of these had disappeared without a trace.
Although frustrated, Ximen Ai did not give up this time. He kept an eye on the city of Fu Shun, ready to counterattack at any time. When Zhou Qingfeng was recruiting craftsmen on a large scale, he spread rumors everywhere. One time, he said that there was a rich merchant in the city who was giving them free handouts, and another time, he said that there was someone who was hiring in winter and offered double the amount of money. This attracted a lot of villagers who did not know the truth to flock to the city.
When he learned that thousands of people flooded into Fu Shun, Ximen Ai laughed out loud. Because Daming's imperial court was sensitive to this kind of mass incident, they would certainly pursue responsibility. But just as he was waiting for Zhou Qingfeng to be caught in his own trap and lose his life, the gathering of several thousand people did not cause any trouble. The crowd was either absorbed, intimidated, or diverted.
Not only were the people who went to Fu Shun not disappointed, but when they came back, they praised the kindness of the Zhou family in the west of the city. They ate a few full meals, and some even received dozens of copper coins. In short, they did not return empty-handed. Besides praising the kindness, people also envied the recruited craftsmen for getting more money. The tide of public opinion leaned towards Zhou Qingfeng, and instead attracted more capable people to join him.
"This thief Zhou used a lot of money to deceive the ignorant people in the countryside." Ximen Ai cursed, but his first plan did not work, so he thought of another plan. Zhou Qingfeng integrated the merchants and formed a caravan, so it was impossible to block the news. When he found out, he immediately conspired with his uncle and decided to rob it.
These days, the generals were overflowing with wealth, but the military families were poor. Generals Gao, this kind of low-level military officer, could not get any profit. But as a local tyrant, he still had a way of making money. By making friends with some mountain bandits and water bandits, Generals Gao's business in the underworld was still very good.
With such an uncle, Ximen Ai naturally came up with the idea to rob Zhou Qingfeng's caravan. He personally returned to Fu Shun to observe and inquire. When Tan Feng escorted the caravan to Shenyang, he also followed them for a long time. Waiting for Tan Feng to return from Shenyang …
"In addition to my nephew's good information gathering, with the help of the Yang brothers from Tiger Head Mountain, we are even more powerful." In front of the table, Generals Gao pulled two people up to toast. One was sturdy and had a beard. The other was thin and wore a scholar's robe. When the two of them stood up, they cupped their hands in a carefree manner and drank the wine in one gulp.
The bearded man revealed the bottom of the bowl and shouted loudly, "Dear generals, I, Yang Wei, do not dare to boast about other things, but I once had a famous teacher and learned a superb spear technique. Taking the head of a general from a million soldiers was as easy as taking something out of my pocket. My big brother, Yang Bang, is an expert in commanding troops and formations. He has the ability to strategize and can command tens of thousands of people at the same time. "
The scholar's robe smiled and only said, 'I don't deserve such praise'. The group of soldiers were uncouth and did not understand these genteel words, so they only cheered. It was Commander Gao who understood the gist of the situation and explained, "I heard that Tan Feng, the subordinate of that traitor Zhou, is also one of the generals from the Xuan Residence. He wields a large saber that is impenetrable, and ordinary people are no match for him.
This person is also a descendant of a general and is very proficient in commanding troops and formations. My nephew followed him all the way and said that this person's troops are well-guarded and his actions are well-controlled. He is not someone that a dissolute fool can compare to. I was originally worried but there was this Chief Yang, Yang Wei. On the day of the battle, he took the lead and killed Tan Feng until his tendons were weak and his limbs were trembling.
In addition, there was this Chief Yang Bang who set up a good formation, allowing us to have a clear stand during the battle and to command calmly. Two to three hundred of us killed our way out like heavenly soldiers and generals, causing Tan Feng's subordinates to run for their lives. The goods and horses were all left to us. We even forced Tan Feng to use up all his strength and could only run away pathetically. "
Generals Gao's words were interesting. The soldiers under him only knew that there was a huge commotion during the battle and ten or so useless waving flags and shouting had died, but they did not know what happened to the overall situation.
After the battle, they plundered a few carriages of valuable goods and even the strong wine in their bowls now was plundered that day. Hearing Generals Gao's words today, the soldiers were also overjoyed and loudly praised the Yang brothers for their bravery.
After the banquet was over, everyone went home to have a good rest. Generals Gao arranged a place for the Yang brothers to stay, then pulled his nephew Ximen Ai and asked, "Son, do you think that Zhou Qingfeng will come looking for trouble with us after we plundered his goods this time? Uncle, I have inquired about it, that kid seems to have taken the path of Fu Shun Lord Li, he is really not someone to be trifled with. "
Ximen Ai was drinking a plate of cooked edamame with wine in front of the table. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Uncle, you must be afraid, but I have arranged this matter very well, there is absolutely no possibility of anything going wrong. The day before yesterday, it was the troops of Tiger Head Mountain that charged into the battle, Uncle's subordinates were only in charge of collecting the goods and disposing of the stolen goods. Even if that traitor Zhou gets the news, he still has to eliminate the two chiefs of Tiger Head Mountain first. But can he eliminate them?
Nephew, I think that the Yang brothers are indeed extraordinary, their subordinates are willing to risk their lives and dare to kill. As soon as the two of them made a move, they beat that Tan Feng into a sorry state. I heard that the one surnamed Tan is a valiant person with martial arts skills, but in the chaos of the army, he was beaten and fled in panic. And other than this Tan Feng, that traitor Zhou's subordinates are unable to fight. Other than angrily shouting and cursing, what can that brat do to me? "
Generals Gao felt that this was reasonable, so his heart relaxed a little.
At this moment, in the west of Fu Shun city, Zhou Qingfeng had just ordered people to bandage Tan Feng's wounds, and with a cold face, he asked what happened. "Tell me, how did you end up in such a miserable state? In any case, you are also a person with cultivation, did you meet an expert? "
Tan Feng's face was full of shame. The failure the day before yesterday was a huge blow to him. He had always felt that his martial arts skills were extraordinary, but because he was too honest, he encountered setbacks in life. But this time, he was defeated by a motley crew. "The day before yesterday, I led a group of people to leave Shenyang, halfway to a place called Donggou village, I suddenly encountered a group of bandits."
These days, there were as many bandits as the hairs on an ox, and their composition was very complicated. There were many people who were both commoners and bandits, officials and bandits, and if one did not guard against them, they would encounter bandits blocking the road. When Zhou Qingfeng heard that there were bandits, he was not surprised at all.
Tan Feng continued: "In the beginning, there were only about twenty to thirty bandits. They stood on a hillside and shot arrows at our team. I immediately took more than a dozen patrolling soldiers to kill them, wanting to drive them away. "
Hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng frowned. The caravan he sent out also had more than fifty people and more than a dozen large carriages. How could a mere twenty to thirty people dare to rob them?
Tan Feng continued: "As soon as I rushed up the hillside, those bandits who shot arrows immediately fled in all directions. I killed a few of them, but then I heard my subordinates exclaim that there was another group of bandits coming from another direction. So I turned my horse around and killed them again. "
The frown on Zhou Qingfeng's face deepened. It was obvious that the diversionary tactic was premeditated. If he encountered such a situation, he would first circle around the caravan and defend it.
Obviously, Tan Feng's Qi and blood were too vigorous and he underestimated the enemy. When he said this, he suddenly stopped, his face full of unwillingness and annoyance. Zhou Qingfeng had to take the initiative to ask, "And then? You were defeated? "
Tan Feng really nodded and said: "Yes, I was defeated, and I lost in a muddle. When I went to meet the second wave of bandits, I saw more than two hundred of them killing their way out. I first fell into the enemy's trap and left the caravan. By the time I returned, the second wave of bandits had already killed their way to the front of the caravan. The people who originally stayed behind couldn't resist at all and immediately fled like a swarm of bees. "
More than two hundred people against dozens of people, it was reasonable for them to win. But Tan Feng was a cultivator, how did he also end up in such a difficult situation? Facing Zhou Qingfeng's puzzled gaze, Tan Feng even stomped his feet and slammed the table: "The second wave of bandits came out in formation, all carrying wooden spears. Although they advanced slowly, they were in an orderly formation, definitely not a motley crew.
At that time, I didn't care and used a few spells to blast open their formation, so I could kill my way in. But after I threw a Flame Talisman, more than two hundred bandits panicked but didn't panic. Very soon, they formed a formation again and surrounded me. I killed more than ten of them in one breath, but I couldn't defeat them. Instead, I used up more than half of my spiritual energy, so I panicked and fled. "
Tan Feng's Tendons and Bones were at Stage 3, and his Qi and blood was at Stage 1, which meant that he could at most release five spells. But in actual combat, very few people were like Zhou Qingfeng, who was too weak and often fought until his spiritual energy was exhausted. Basically, if a cultivator couldn't win after using up half of their spiritual energy, they would want to retreat. Otherwise, if they were really exhausted, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they wanted to.
In other words, it was very likely that Tan Feng only released two strikes, and when he saw that he couldn't defeat his opponents, he immediately retreated. And it was even more impossible to expect the people escorting the caravan to fight to the death in the face of a superior enemy.
But Zhou Qingfeng was still puzzled: "Tan Feng, you used a Flame Talisman, but the opponents were still able to form a formation again and surround you?"
The Flame Talisman created a huge fire, and the people in the sea of fire would definitely jump and flee. If they weren't elites, it would be very difficult to form a formation again.
"Yes." Tan Feng specifically mentioned this point: "At that time, this subordinate saw that the bandits with wooden spears all had headscarves wrapped around their heads, and they seemed to be lined up according to different colors. And at that time, I also heard the sound of gongs and drums. Now that I think about it, it seemed like they were lining up. They were obviously soldiers from some unknown place pretending to be bandits. "
Wooden spears? Lining up according to different colors? And there were gongs and drums commanding them?
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