Chapter 1655 Attacking Manila (5)
Ran Tianlu only said that he was too nervous, but in fact, Fang Peng, who was responsible for the attack, was not much better than him. This was done under the eyes of the Spaniards. If the other party discovered it, the guards of the merchant house would not have any advantage in terms of numbers or weapons. Although Fang Peng told Ran Tianlu that he would escort him to the south if the incident failed, Fang Peng did not say a word about how to escape from the surveillance of these Spanish people. The reason was naturally that he had not thought of a way to escape.
Although this matter is 50% sure as Fang Peng said, once it fails, the other 50% may end up dying here. Fang Peng couldn't help but admire Ran Tianlu's big heart and actually agreed to his proposal. This was obviously different from Ran Tianlu's usually shrewd and calculating style. Fang Peng thinks that this is probably because Ran Tianlu is worried that Haihan will liquidate the relationship between the business house and the Spanish after he captures this place, so he urgently needs this credit to clear his position.
Naturally, the Mongolian sweat medicine used by Fang Peng did not come from an ordinary source. As Ran Tianlu guessed, in addition to his identity as a golden shield guard, Fang Peng also had another unknown identity, that of a spy sent by the military to lurk in Manila. However, his authority to act is greater than that of Ran Tianlu. In addition to collecting intelligence, he can also decide whether to use unconventional means to disrupt social order, assassinate enemy personnel, etc. during wartime.
Fang Peng had his own source of information and also knew that the Haihan Army was very close. A group of Spanish soldiers happened to arrive in front of him. This was military merit brought to him. Naturally, he did not want to let it go, so he had This action.
If you want to attack so many people, you have to eat at different times and have different physical qualities. It is definitely impossible to control the onset of the drug at the same moment, so the variables in the operation are huge. Even if Fang Peng made arrangements in advance, after all, he only has more than 20 people available, and it is an extremely difficult task to counter-monitor as many as 60 people.
There were indeed omissions during the implementation process. The two Spanish cavalrymen who had fainted outside the stable were actually outside the surveillance of the guards. Fortunately, the dose used by Fang Peng was quite large. Before Bro and others found out something was wrong, the effects of the drug had already taken effect, and they fell to the ground one after another. There were a few people with good physical fitness who held on. However, he had already been the subject of intensive monitoring under Fang Peng's orders. At that moment, several people had already picked up sticks and knocked him unconscious.
Fang Peng assigned several people to control the entrances and exits, and then began to count the Spanish soldiers lying in various places in the business store. Although the scene was a bit chaotic, the final result was quite satisfactory. After counting, not a single fish slipped through the net, and all of them fell into Fang Peng's tricks.
"Lucky luck!" Fang Peng himself knew that this was already as good as it could be. It was almost a theoretically possible situation. If there were one or two sober Spanish soldiers, they would pick up their rifles and fire before they fell. , it is very likely to attract more Spaniards. Even if all the guys in the store are dealt with by then, they can only be considered a failure.
"Master Peng is so good!" Ran Tianlu seemed to have completely relaxed, and praised Fang Peng with a smile: "If Master Peng hadn't done it right, I might not have succeeded so smoothly tonight!"
Fang Peng responded with a smile: "Thanks to the good cooperation of the shopkeeper, I didn't make these ghosts suspicious, otherwise it wouldn't be so easy!"
After the two complimented each other, Ran Tianlu asked: "What should we do next?"
"First tie up all these people and take them into custody. When the Haihan army attacks, just hand them over." Fang Peng replied without thinking.
Ran Tianlu said: "Why not send people to the south to contact the Haihan army at night, so as to avoid extra trouble after tomorrow's war."
"No." Fang Peng shook his head and said, "If I'm not mistaken, since the Spaniards are determined to deal with the Haihan people here, they will definitely set up many secret sentries outside to prevent the Haihan army from sneaking in at night. A curfew has already been implemented here. If someone is caught by the Spaniards, it will probably affect the security of the store. ”
Ran Tianlu said suddenly: "Master Peng is right, but I was rude, so just follow what Master Peng said and just stay in the store!"
In terms of intelligence gathering methods, Ran Tianlu is definitely much better than Fang Peng. After all, he has already become involved with the Spanish, and even Fang Peng thinks that his position is leaning towards the Spanish side. When it comes to issues in the military field, of course Fang Peng, who has had military experience, is more professional. If it was Yiran Tianlu's intention, all previous efforts might have been scrapped, and instead it would have led to a siege by the Spanish army. Fortunately, Fang Peng was in control of the overall situation and would not make any more low-level mistakes at this juncture.
The guards used prepared ropes to tie up the prisoners' hands and feet one by one, stuffed hemp kernels into their mouths, and tied them with cloth strips. Although Fang Peng's medicine is effective, it has a time limit. At most, these prisoners will wake up one after another after an hour or two. Therefore, it must be handled properly before this to avoid chaos after these people wake up.
Although it was not a big project, it still took a long time to clean up these sixty people. Fang Peng and Ran Tianlu didn't dare to be careless. They both stared at one end and supervised their men to tie up the prisoners tightly. They also searched for all the sharp blades and hard objects on their bodies to prevent them from being used later. To be a tool for loosening bonds.
There was also a little tidbit during the period. In order to ensure that no news leaked out, Ran Tianlu did not inform everyone in the store of Fang Peng’s plan. As a result, two accountants who did not know the inside story were hungry in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen to help themselves. After drinking the bowl of porridge, he fell down outside before returning to the room. Fortunately, it was nothing serious. After pouring cold water on their heads, they woke up in a daze soon. However, the two of them were still too weak to stand. According to Fang Peng, they would need to lie down for a while to recover slowly, so Ran Tianlu let them The people carried the two people back to the room using the door panel.
The effect of this medicine was so powerful that Ran Tianlu felt relieved. It seemed that even if the Spanish prisoner woke up, he would not have the strength to struggle for a while. However, he was still worried about what might happen, so Fang Peng suggested: "It is better to put the medicine into the water after a while, and then pour more in when they want to wake up, so that they will stay asleep."
Fang Peng nodded and said: "That's what I have in mind. Later, I will ask someone to go to the kitchen to boil some hot water and prepare the means first."
Although everything was going very smoothly so far, the two of them still didn't dare to tell the truth, and neither of them mentioned taking a rest. Ran Tianlu ordered people to make a new midnight snack, brew a pot of high-quality green tea, and then invited Fang Peng to taste tea with him. Although the two of them had worked together at the store for a long time, it was rare for them to cooperate and share risks like tonight. Unknowingly, they became less unfamiliar and more intimate.
However, each of these two people has a secret identity that cannot be disclosed to outsiders, so even if they chat, they will never actively involve related fields. After all, it is just commercial flattery with little nutrition. Both of them had made up their mind to stay here until the Haihan Army arrived.
In the middle of the night, the situation that Ran Tianlu was worried about finally appeared. Francis sent a messenger to deliver the latest combat instructions to Second Lieutenant Bro who was stationed at Chaosheng Trading House. The gatekeepers have been replaced by Fang Peng's men, who put on the uniforms of Spanish soldiers. There were also Han Chinese in this small team stationed at Chaosheng Merchant Inn, and the light was dark at this time, so no one came. Revealed in front of one's eyes. At this time, Bu Luo was still tied up like a rice dumpling and thrown into the warehouse. Ran Tianlu and Fang Peng naturally couldn't take him out to see the messenger. The person who came was a Spaniard, so Ran Tianlu could only deal with it. .
Ran Tianlu led the people to the backyard, and then explained to the messenger that Second Lieutenant Buluo was unwell and had fallen asleep. If there is anything that needs to be handed over, he can do it for you.
It's just that it's hard to deceive people with these pale words, and since the messenger entered the store, he didn't even see one of his own people. He had already become suspicious, and immediately wanted to see Bro in person for confirmation. Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Ran Tianlu had no choice but to signal Fang Peng to lead the way.
The man followed Fang Peng all the way to a room on the second floor. Fang Peng held up an oil lamp and pushed the door open. He also followed in. Ran Tianlu, who was waiting at the door, heard several dull blows inside, and then Fang Peng dragged the man by his legs. out.
"It's better for Mr. Peng to take action!" Seeing that Fang Peng had knocked out the messenger, Ran Tianlu quickly praised Fang Peng's skills again.
Fang Peng shook his head and said: "I'm afraid this matter won't be settled so easily. Since he is here to deliver the order, he will naturally have to go back and recover after delivering the order. If the delay is too long, I'm afraid someone will come to visit him later. ”
Ran Tianlu smiled bitterly and said: "For this plan, it can only be postponed for a while. If it is really no longer possible, we can only fight for our lives."
Fang Peng praised: "The shopkeeper is very open-minded! Okay, then you and I will try our best. If we can hold on until the army arrives, everything will be fine. If not, then let's settle for our own destiny!"
About an hour later, someone else came to the door. By this time, Ran Tianlu had become much calmer. After opening the door, he asked about the purpose of his visit and found that he was really here to see the messenger. Ran Tianlu pretended to be surprised and said that the messenger had left after explaining the matter to Second Lieutenant Bro and did not stay in the store. , and I don’t know where it’s going.
Ran Tianlu's acting skills were very good at fooling people, and the visitor was actually fooled by him and left muttering. It's just that Ran Tianlu himself knows that this kind of deception can only be used for a while, and it will definitely happen again later.
Sure enough, the man thought something was wrong and turned back, asking to see Second Lieutenant Bro to verify the matter. Ran Tianlu did not dare to refuse, so he could only take him into the store, and then followed the example, and Fang Peng took action to deal with the man again. But this has been done twice. Even if the Spaniards are fools, they will soon realize that something is wrong. When they send people here again, I am afraid they will not send them one by one like this.
"Master Peng, what should we do now?" Ran Tianlu was a little anxious now. It was getting brighter, but he didn't know if the current situation could really last until dawn when the war started. If the Spaniards allocate their forces to attack the trading house, he doesn't even have half the confidence to defend the trading house.
"If you can't leave, you have to fight hard!" Fang Peng's tone was still calm. But hearing these words in Ran Tianlu's ears made him a little frightened.
"Are we going to fight hard? Why don't we abandon the store and go south as planned?" Ran Tianlu suggested. He didn't want to fight to the death with the Spaniards here. After all, he was also an intelligence officer who had made great contributions. It would be too unworthy if he was defeated on the eve of the Haihan Army's capture of this place. He also hopes to get promoted and make a fortune by relying on his achievements in Manila. If given the choice, he still hopes to live a good life.
Fang Peng smiled and said: "The shopkeeper, go and have a look at the door. If the Spaniards are not stupid, they will have blocked all nearby intersections at this time."
Ran Tianlu didn't dare to neglect, so he took a closer look at the situation at the south gate of the store. Sure enough, he could see groups of Spanish soldiers moving around in the street corner in the distance. Still unwilling to give in, he went to several other entrances and exits to observe, and as Fang Peng said, there were Spaniards at all the main intersections in the surrounding areas. Whether they are looking for the missing person or monitoring Chaosheng Commercial Store, they can't leave now.
"So there was no possibility of getting out of this matter from the beginning, right?" Now, Ran Tianlu calmed down and asked Fang Peng proactively.
Fang Peng responded: "Yes, there is, but I have said before that the risk is too great, so it is better to stay here."
"But if you stay here, you will let the Spaniards catch a turtle in a urn." Ran Tianlu sighed, thinking that Fang Peng's judgment was problematic. If we go south at night, we might be able to escape. After all, there are still dozens of horses in the merchant house, and they are all rushing south. Can the Spaniards still stop them?
"It's hard to say who is the urn and who is the turtle." Fang Peng still disagreed with Ran Tianlu's opinion, and seemed to be extremely confident about the battle that might break out next.
Then Fang Peng did something that shocked Ran Tianlu. He asked his men to open a warehouse in the store, took out several wooden boxes, found a crowbar, and opened the boxes in front of Ran Tianlu. And the items contained in these boxes are surprisingly new Haihan rifles!
"This...isn't this the porcelain sent by Ming Dynasty?" Ran Tianlu clearly remembered that this batch of goods arrived at Manila Port not long ago, or that he went to the dock to sign for it in person. How come the contents inside turned into weapons?
"Twenty boxes of goods, ten of which are porcelain, and ten of which are weapons." Fang Peng leaned over and pulled out a rifle from the box, holding it in his hand while inspecting it, while explaining to Ran Tianlu the origin of the weapons in these boxes.
(End of chapter)