Chapter 424 Chapter 404 Waiting with bated breath (Part 1)
When the cock crows three times and the white fish belly appears on the horizon, the people in the village have begun to move.
Far away from the prosperity in the south of Wu Dynasty, life in Dulonggang area is nothing more than life. There was not much entertainment. Farmers worked in the fields, and the women in the village made knitting needlework. During the slack time, they visited each other's houses and gathered in front of a certain house to enjoy the cool weather. This was the daily life of most farmers in the Wu Dynasty. Day after day, year after year. On the Dulonggang side, in order to protect Zhuangzi, the villagers would be organized to do war training. In many cases, the fierce folk customs were developed from these trainings.
The formation of places like Dulonggang and Wanjialing was originally similar to bandit villages. First, the gangs that ruled a place gathered together, and then the number of people gradually increased, and the place was close to the business roads, and a new order was gradually established. They no longer made money through robbery and killing, which would attract the attention of the government, but instead Start collecting protection fees and do some gray income business. Even if there are fights with others, it is only because of the fight for and protection of territory. In Shandong, especially near Liangshan, these things are unavoidable, and most villagers are still in a slightly peaceful situation. Next, I returned to farming.
Dulonggang has a unique terrain, and there are many workshops in the three villages, employing villagers to work. Although they are not as prosperous and professional as big cities, the operation of these small workshops can, on the one hand, meet the self-sufficient living needs of 20,000 to 30,000 people in Dulonggang. On the other hand, they can also produce output and communicate with the outside world. Get huge profits. For example, some salt and iron businesses that are strictly controlled by the government can be hoarded and operated by oneself in Dulonggang. As long as they don't go too far, life can be considered comfortable.
The usual farming life, practicing martial arts to defend the village, plus various things to make money and do business, are the three things that go hand in hand in Dulonggang. Of course, in recent times, due to the growing momentum in Liangshan, the training of the villagers has become the most important thing. Everyone up and down Dulonggang has become nervous. When you get up in the morning, you can see the villagers coaching the coaches. The drills began under the command of
Hu Cheng walked through the bluestone road in front, and when he arrived at the grain field, he saw his sister who was arguing with Zhuang Min. She put her hands on her hips, looked up with a smile and said, "Here comes the one who brings the seeds." Fight with me!" The person arguing with him was Liao Sibao, the son of the manager of the village. He and his sister had grown up together. This was not the first time they had had a similar quarrel.
There was a lot of noise, but of course there was no fight. She is a girl who has been good at martial arts since she was a child. Now she is taller than the average man. She has two sun and moon swords behind her. Her sword skills are so sharp that few people in Zhuangzi can match her. Liao Sibao would not fight her. In fact, Sibao was probably interested in a girl like him. Sanniang was pretty, so the child who grew up with her was somewhat interested in her, but it would be in vain if he couldn't beat her.
Among the young people in Zhujiazhuang, Zhu Biao from Zhujiazhuang was slightly ahead of Sanniang. After Sanniang was betrothed to Zhu Biao, everyone had nothing to say.
"Okay, Baosi, please stop arguing with her and take everyone to practice. Sanniang, you are the same, you know how to quarrel early in the morning..."
As an elder brother, Hu Cheng went over to persuade him, and both parties gave him face. It is common for people in the village to bicker and quarrel. After getting married, men and women will talk unscrupulously. The girl has not yet gotten married, which is good, and everyone will not quarrel too much. After this little farce was over, my sister and her brother walked to the side, raised their chins and asked, "Who is that over there? That... businessman?"
Follow her. Looking over, he saw several people doing simple exercises on the side of the barn, but they were not from his farm. The young man in the middle was wearing a dress that was so beautiful that it was almost showing off. He was also looking this way. He put his hands on his hips and twisted his butt, twisting his body like a noodle, looking a little evil, and then waved his hand towards this person. While saying hello, Hu Cheng also bowed his hand.
"Yes, that Lei Feng and Mr. Lei who came here the day before yesterday came to discuss business."
"What is he doing, weird? I heard he can do martial arts?" "
"He said that he can do it. The guards around him are pretty good, but It seems like he is just a showman who has been practicing with his master for several years. He belongs to a wealthy family in the capital. What can I say... He has a nickname called Hunyuan Thunder Hand, and he must have practiced a few palm skills... When he came over, He said he was very interested in the fact that there was going to be a war here, and he also said he wanted to follow it and have a look..."
"Do these young men in the city think this is fun? I'll give him a hand." The young woman named Hu Sanniang looked over there with squinting eyes, "But if you come at this time, will it be the Liangshan sect?" Why did you put him in the village? Here we come..."
"That's probably not the case." Hu Cheng shook his head, "I confirmed with the people from the government yesterday that the young master of the Lei family had a background with the Zhu family the day before yesterday. I paid more than six thousand taels of silver, all for buying Things, place an order. His family asked him to run business, but what he is most interested in is fighting. However, although this kid is not good at martial arts and is a bit confused when it comes to fighting, he has a good family background and is very good at business. Yesterday Talk in Lijiazhuang in the morning When talking about it, Li Shishu was full of praise.”
The three Zhujiazhuang in Dulonggang are headed by Zhu Chaofeng, because Zhu Chaofeng has the best view of the overall situation, but when it comes to doing business, the owner of Lijiazhuang is “a bird of prey.” "Li Ying is quite powerful. This new Mr. Lei Feng impressed Zhu Chaofeng and Li Ying successively in business. Yesterday afternoon, he was invited to Hujiazhuang again. Mr. Hu asked him for advice on how to improve several workshops. It is said that in Beijing and other places, Most places are using new methods, and this young man is indeed quite convincing when talking about business matters.
"It's just that when he talks a few words about business, he will talk about martial arts and fighting, and talk about what we should do when Liangshan comes. It's really unlucky, and what he said is a complete mess. I really want to fight. He paused, because Li Shishu said that he was a genius in business and wanted us to learn from him, so I held back. I don’t know how Zhu Biao saved his time when he was at Zhujiazhuang.”
Zhu Biao has the highest kung fu among the three brothers in Zhujiazhuang. Although he is his future brother-in-law, Hu Cheng and others all knew that he was arrogant and had a hot temper. This young man was so arrogant that it was difficult not to be beaten by him.
After saying a few words about this, Hu Sanniang didn't care much about the armed forces and business in the village, so she changed the subject. Then he talked about Liangshan Mountain. Although the atmosphere was a bit tense at the moment, it seemed a bit far away that they would really fight, at least for young people like Hu Cheng and Hu Sanniang. They had grown up here and had participated in firefights involving hundreds of people, but Liangshan was clearly rebelling, and with tens of thousands of people fighting with all their strength, it was really a war.
"The Zhu family's coach Luan Tingyu has come back these days. I heard that he thinks there is a possibility of war."
"Our Zhuangzi has a good terrain and a lot of people. This gang If the bandits really dare to attack, I can kill dozens of their heads with my sword of the sun and the moon!"
"Just be careful. The Zengtou City was beaten really badly last year, but we in Dulonggang are not vegetarians. If he really wants to fight, he will definitely let them know the dangers."
The brother and sister said this and stopped paying attention to the rich young man and others over there. At the other end, Ning Yi, Wang Shanyue, Su Wenyu, the Qi brothers and others were also stretching and talking.
"Brother Lei, you said... you are interested in a girl, that Hu Sanniang? She is really tall..."
Ning Yi was starting to do Tai Chi slowly: "I am also a little disappointed, she is pretty and beautiful Pretty, no She just looks like a village girl..."
The plain-faced Wang Shanyue sat on a wooden post on the side. He actually looked a bit prettier than Hu Sanniang, watching him boxing: " This guard girl is very skilled in martial arts Qiang, she is ranked high in Dulonggang. She has been betrothed to Zhu Biao, the third young master of Zhujiazhuang. The day before yesterday, you almost had a fight... I want to remind you that this young master Zhu is married to that coach Luan. The true biography is in the hands of Coach Luan She can go through hundreds of moves without losing. If you are interested in this girl Hu, you should think twice.”
Scholars and scribes often claim to be romantic, which is evident from Wang Shanyue’s family background. If there are too many, then speak up and warn. Ning Yi nodded while punching: "I know, I guess the martial arts skills of Lin Chong's group are not too different, that is... almost the same as those of Ba Daozhuang Fang Shuchang. Can the three Qi brothers beat him?" ? "
Qi Xinyi said: "Between brothers... If it were Fang Shuchang, we might be worse... In short, it is difficult to win, maybe we can stay undefeated. "
"Oh, then Brother Wang should be very powerful, right?" Ning Yi has heard of the wolf bandit leader's martial arts skills, which scares anyone who hears about them. Ning Yi has heard of such comments. No matter what, it seems that he can tie with Lin Chong, but asked After that, Wang Shanyue said: "My martial arts is not high, you misunderstood." He paused, "I have been weak since I was young, and practicing martial arts is always half the result with twice the effort. If we really fight, let alone Zhu Biao , Hu Sanniang, even Zhu Long and Hu Cheng, I may not be my opponent..."
"Huh?" Ning Yi was stunned, and then shrugged indifferently, "But it's okay, I’m just curious. After seeing it, it’s nothing.”
“Why are you curious?”
“Secret.” Ning Yi laughed. Although he didn't know much about the Water Margin in Liangshan, he had certainly heard of the name Hu Sanniang. It was said that she was highly skilled in martial arts, beautiful and tragic. When she saw Zhujiazhuang, she wanted to come and take a look. But now that I have seen her, I feel that she is just an ordinary village chief's daughter. She looks pretty good, is more confident than ordinary women, and is not too rude. But really speaking, she looks like a taller version of Guo Fu.
It seems that Hu Sanniang, who has not been raped by that wretched dwarf and whose whole family is still alive, is a little less attractive...
This is just a small diversion on the way to doing business, and Ning Yi won't take it too seriously. In his opinion, the timing of coming here is not bad. Information from the government, the underworld, etc. all show that Liangshan has made preparations around Dingshuibo for the end of the war. The war may break out at the end of this month. .
After staying in Dulonggang for two days, Ning Yi also went to Wanjialing, and met the head of the Ji family in Wanjialing on the same grounds of "talking about business", but speaking of it, the Wanjia family Compared with the scale of Dulonggang, the scale of this side of the ridge is only about 60% of the strength of Dulonggang. After this simple meeting, Ning Yi returned to Dulonggang and asked Qi Xinhan to follow Su Wenyu to Jeju City and contact the government to spread some simple rumors.
Wang Shanyue followed all the way, but she didn't quite understand what Ning Yi wanted to do. The rumors he asked the government to spread were simply "Song Jiang wants to negotiate with the government for recruitment", and there were not many operations and arrangements. The credibility of such rumors was extremely low. Compared with the Secret Investigation Department, The efficiency of the government in this area of Liangshan is astonishingly poor. Even if rumors are spread all over the world, it will not be able to sway the people inside Liangshan.
On the other hand, Ning Yi's methods and plans for negotiating business with Dulonggang and Wanjialing were extremely reliable. Ning Yi basically came up with a smuggling plan that runs through Shandong. Dulonggang and Wanjialing are important parts of it. If they can ensure smooth roads and then combine with merchants in the capital, they can make huge profits. Even some products can be processed in Dulonggang and Wanjialing. This plan can even vaguely expand to the north. If the Luliang Mountains are opened, they can also cross the border into and out of the Liao Kingdom to make huge profits from the operation of salt, iron, tea and other products.
Wang Shanyue’s family background means that whether something is feasible or not can be seen with a little thought. After a few days, he had some doubts as to whether Ning Yi really came over to do business. When he was staying at the inn in Dulonggang, he asked directly.
"If you want to deal with Liangshan, you should gather all the forces around you. Dulonggang, Wanjialing, and even the surrounding villages can all unite now. You have prepared your official identity certificate. Why are you only talking about business these days? , let’s not talk about dealing with Liangshan? When there is a real fight, there will be no chance. "..."
In the past few days, in addition to walking around Dulonggang and Wanjialing, Wang Shanyue basically told Ning Yi about the information about heroes from all walks of life on Liangshan Mountain. That night After saying this doubt, Ning Yi, who was eating peanuts and sorting out information in the light, clapped his hands.
"It's not that time. Brother Wang also knows that although Dulonggang is a little whiter, they don't have a good impression of the government. In other words, everyone knows the virtues of the government. Wu Ruiying had fought with Liangshan before and was defeated very humiliatingly. When they came here, Prince Consort Kang and Prime Minister Qin both told me that it would be impossible to force them to send troops. , but at most it can only gather 20,000 people and fight once. Even if everyone is precious about their lives, even in the best situation, 20,000 people in Wurui Camp, plus Dulonggang and Wanjialing, can make up 15,600... There must be a total of 40,000 people, but it’s meaningless even if we don’t try to do anything.”
“According to Brother Ning’s calculation, Wu Ruiying will definitely save his life, Dulong. Gang and Wanjialing may be beaten if they are pushed to the extreme, but that would not make much sense. If they are beaten until there are only a few thousand people left, even if they fight hard, they will not be able to win Liangshan. Wouldn't it be better if we could strengthen our momentum and maintain the current situation? "
"I don't want a stalemate, I want to break up Liangshan." Yi shook his head, looked at Wang Shanyue, and then clicked on a small map next to him, "As long as Wanjialing and Dulonggang are not defeated immediately, they run these two places themselves. Home, they will definitely contribute to the defense. I only need them to come and go, and it will be enough for ten days or half a month.”
"Ten days...half a month?" Wang Shanyue frowned, "Can it reverse the situation?"
"Maybe we can destroy Liangshan." Ning Yi smiled, "There are no other big ones around. I have no time to wait until they attack Jeju, so now I have to take advantage of it. For me, this should be the only chance. Of course... I'm not very sure, so let's go."
Wang Shanyue thought about Wanjialing and Dulonggang for a long time. The place is where the wealth and life of the villagers lie, and if you want to protect it, you will definitely be able to protect it for a period of time. But... Liangshan has now expanded to more than 50,000 people and has gone to 60,000. With a dozen or at most forty people, they can reverse the situation and destroy Liangshan in ten days and a half? What on earth is this guy thinking...
"Then...what should we prepare next?"
"Actually, it's nothing." Ning Yi closed his eyes and thought for a while, Shaking his head, "Wen Yu's rumors have been put out, and your people should be coming soon. Now... we are just waiting for the fight to begin, and the only thing we have to guarantee is..."
He smiled: "When the fight starts, we have to be in Zhuangzi..."
Wang Shanyue thought for a while: "Then I will wait and see."
After getting up and going out, He just shook his head. Wolf thieves were running rampant here, and both good and bad people were frightened by the news. But for Liangshan, he was helpless. And the thing and person in front of him really made him feel indescribably strange and difficult to understand.
It’s only been six or seven days, and it’s difficult to express my feelings about this person clearly. When facing outsiders, he seemed a little chaotic, but he did manage to calm down the situation in a certain way. When everyone was alone, he kept sorting out the Liangshan information he told and comparing it with the information he had before. and modifications, arranging what others should do, racing against time and being meticulous. He seemed younger than himself, but the impression he gave people at that time was an indescribable sense of oppression. He had seen such momentum in his grandfather and teachers. From my side... I can see that he is doing things seriously, but I can't see what he is thinking.
When news came from the capital that someone would be responsible for Liangshan affairs in the future, he once thought about how the other party would handle the matter. For example, mobilizing the power of the government and the army to unite the forces near Shuibo. The matter must be trivial and difficult. The situation is huge, but it still needs to be solved, and the duration must be very long. But the current matter had never appeared in any of his speculations.
He did arrange things that required the cooperation of the government and the army, and he used the people around him, because after staying here for a period of time, it was possible to really get the army and the government to take action, and he even arranged the follow-up if things couldn't be done. . But these are not the center of his plan. He does not seem to want to excessively force the army and government to deal with Liangshan. But in just seven days, with only forty people at hand, he was ready to face Liangshan directly.
After the war, if you stay in Zhuangzi and Liangshan conquers Dulonggang, you may not have a chance to escape.
It is estimated that in only three to five days, a war may begin, and then it seems that all that is left is waiting. For a moment, Wang Shanyue had some doubts about whether he should make a decision at this time that might cost him his life. Although the letter written by the teacher did ask him to fully cooperate with this person's actions...
Thinking about this, he was slightly confused, but he didn't know that shortly after he left the room, a black shadow walked in the darkness outside, and then knocked on the window of Ning Yi's room.
On May 23, the night was as dark as ink. Looking from the back to the front, there are only five days until the battle that is not difficult to guess and there seems to be no suspense... (End of this chapter)