Chapter 2214
To openly take action in the city is actually equivalent to openly challenging the authority of the government, and the risks required will be considerable. If the situation becomes unmanageable, Lu Kangtai, as the main messenger, will definitely be involved afterwards.
However, considering that the current trend of the situation has become increasingly unfavorable to Shanxi and Shaanxi salt merchants, Lu Kangtai is unwilling and unable to miss this opportunity that he spent a lot of resources to obtain, so he decided to take the risk and take action in the city.
Lu Kangtai knew that the other party would be careful when entering and exiting the city, and would bring with him some escorts. Most likely there would be Haihan people involved, but the area near the government office would be a psychological blind spot for the other party. Maybe the other party would think that this area is relatively It's safer and your defenses will be a little more relaxed. If you seize this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, your chances of success will be relatively greater.
But he must make a quick decision and achieve his goal before the government intervenes. Otherwise, the situation will be beyond his control until the government intervenes. Although the government's attitude is temporarily inclined to his side, they will certainly not tolerate him fighting in Yangzhou City. How serious the consequences of this matter will depend to a large extent on how quickly he can resolve it. rival.
Fortunately, Lu Kangtai knew the purpose of Dai Yingda's visit to the Salt Transportation Department, but even if he had prepared enough money and determination, it would not be possible in a short time to manage the Salt Transportation Department from top to bottom. Completed goals. Therefore, Lu Kangtai still has time to gather the manpower deployed throughout the city as soon as possible near the Yamen of Yanyun Division to prepare for a surprise attack on the opponent.
There are undercurrents surging in the city, but outside the Yanyun Si Yamen it is peaceful as usual. The Dai family's motorcade was parked on the street not far from the gate of the Salt Transportation Department. Some of the coachmen and servants were standing against the carriage, and some were sitting on the shaft. They looked no different from the salt merchants' motorcade that usually came to do business. .
Dai Yingda's exclusive carriage has been moved to the head of the motorcade, which is closer to the gate of the Salt Transportation Department, which can effectively reduce his exposure time. Yuan Tao and Lin Zhong stood in front of the car, observing the surrounding environment and talking in low voices.
"Although the other party is ruthless in his actions, this is a government office, so you shouldn't dare to take action here, right?" Lin Zhong asked in a low voice when he saw that Yuan Tao had been paying attention to the surroundings. He was obviously very worried about this place.
Yuan Tao said: "Having said that, we must also guard against the other party jumping over the wall! If nothing happens, the other party should have discovered our whereabouts by now and are gathering people here. If they think they have an opportunity, they may still take risks. After all, Boss Dai is the backbone of the Seven Surnames. As long as he is taken down, it will be much easier to defeat the Seven Surnames. Even if they offend the government, they can just use the money to deal with the consequences later. "
Lin Zhong looked back at the convoy behind him and asked with a little worry: "But we only have a few dozen people here. If the other party really plans to attack here, can our small manpower... be able to withstand it?" < br>
Lin Zhong originally thought this was a relatively safe area, but after hearing Yuan Tao's analysis, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Yuan Tao smiled and said: "Brother Lin, don't worry too much. We have already arranged countermeasures in advance. But we will leave here later and go south out of the city. Brother Lin must plan two or three emergency routes first. We may need to Temporarily change the route to resolve the opponent's interception measures. ”
Lin Zhong responded: "I have already thought of the route. Shopkeeper Yuan does not need to worry. I have already printed every road in this city that can pass a carriage in my mind!"
Yuan Tao nodded and asked Lin Zhong: "Based on Brother Lin's understanding of the nearby environment, if we want to launch a surprise attack on the convoy here, where is the most ideal location?"
Lin Zhonglue thought for a while and responded: "The road outside the Yanyun Division Yamen runs north and south. Although it can be blocked at both ends to form a dead end, it may force us to retreat into the Yamen to protect ourselves, so that the other party will not be able to take action. , so even if they want to take action, they will let us leave this road first... I think that the other party will deploy at the intersection in the south. As soon as we pass that intersection, they will block the passage back to the Salt Transportation Department and let us We cannot ask for help from the Yamen and then carry out the attack.”
Yuan Tao looked at the intersection not far to the south, nodded to express his agreement with Lin Zhong's view, and then asked: "Then what method do you have to resolve this trap?"
Lin Zhong responded without thinking: "If we go straight south from that intersection, they may intercept us at the next section and launch an attack. But if we turn east, we will reach the government office less than a hundred feet away. We can get there." After that, we can turn back to the south, or we can continue to the east and make a move to leave the city through Lijin Gate in the east. In short, as long as we continue to disrupt their rhythm, our chances of escape will be greatly increased.”
Lin Zhong's thinking is very clear. Although the other party may set up an ambush near the Yamen of Yanyun Division, after all, the manpower is limited, and considering the impact it will cause, the blocks they can temporarily blockade must be extremely limited when they take action, so they can only choose The regional deployment trap with the greatest chance of success is waiting for your own fleet to step into it.
Once the convoy's route does not fall into their trap, it will be very hasty to make adjustments. As long as the route is changed several times in succession, it is enough to make all the opponent's deployment in the city empty. If the other party still insists on intercepting the convoy in the city, they will probably have to take action in a hurry, and most of them will not be able to deploy all the armed personnel at once, let alone blockade the neighborhood. The conditions will be much more favorable to Dai Yingda and his party.
Yuan Tao listened and digested Lin Zhong's ideas, and at the same time confirmed it with his own plan. The journey from Yanyun Si Yamen to leaving the city and crossing the river is the riskiest. The opponent may launch an attack at any place. Yuan Tao's idea coincides with Lin Zhong's, which is to prevent the opponent from concentrating all his strength as much as possible. At one point, the convoy was surrounded.
Lin Zhong's familiarity with the city's environment allows their convoy to flexibly change its route according to changes in the situation, thereby minimizing risks during the journey, and they should have greater confidence in achieving such a goal. What Yuan Tao needs to do now is to ensure that his opponents cannot effectively intercept and surround the team at the starting and finishing points.
Of course, to achieve this, the cooperation between him and Lin Zhong is very important. This was the first time that the two had partnered. They had not had any contact or understanding of each other before, so they had to cooperate to complete such an important task, which indeed made Yuan Tao feel great pressure. Fortunately, the various tasks he has completed over the years and the professional training he has received have played a role in allowing him to keep a clear head in this completely unfamiliar environment and sort out a feasible retreat plan.
Lin Zhong continued: "But the problems that I can think of, maybe the other party can also think of, so I think they may make some special arrangements at the southern intersection, so that we can only choose the southward way. If so, when we arrive, The only option is to force your way in! ”
Yuan Tao responded: "He has Zhang Liang's plan, and I have the wall ladder. Brother Lin, don't worry. We have already discussed the countermeasures before we set off. When the time comes, we will naturally make the other party's deployment at that intersection come to nothing!" We will do what you just said, go east first, then take the opportunity to go south, and finally leave the city through Yijiang Gate!" Lin Zhong felt a little relieved when he heard that he said firmly, and he didn't seem to be bragging. Since this shopkeeper Yuan is an expert specially invited from abroad by the Seven Great Surnames, he must have some extraordinary means to neutralize the other party's tricks.
While they were discussing the evacuation plan, Lu Kangtai was also intensively deploying a new action plan. Considering the size of the opponent's convoy, Lu Kangtai believed that it would be impossible for Dai Yingda to abandon the convoy and walk out of the city. The road south outside the Yanyunsi Yamen was the closest route for Dai Yingda to return to the south bank of the canal, so Lu Kangtai decisively deployed most of his manpower there. The southern intersection.
As Lin Zhong expected, Lu Kangtai did not intend to allow Dai Yingda to choose a route when leaving this place, so he deployed forty or fifty people on the east and west sides of the intersection. First, he blocked the intersections on both sides. , so that Dai Yingda's convoy could only go south. Second, after Dai Yingda's convoy passed through, it immediately cut off its retreat, so that it could not ask for help from the Yanyun Division Yamen or Fu Yamen. Then block the convoy on this section of the road from both ends, and then carry out a pincer attack on it.
Lu Kangtai knew that the target to be dealt with this time would be difficult, and even his musketeers were mobilized. He had already made up his mind that as long as Dai Yingda's convoy was blocked on this road, the musketeers would come forward and shoot at these carriages in order to break down the opponent's resistance as soon as possible. As for what kind of trouble the gunshots would cause in the future, he couldn't care too much now.
As time goes by, there are more and more people on the road where the Salt Transportation Department is located. When some passers-by pass by the convoy, their scrutinizing eyes are almost undisguised. It is obvious at a glance that they are spying nearby. A false spy. Yuan Tao saw this and reminded his brothers to be careful in case the other party suddenly launches a cold arrow.
However, no one came to provoke him at the moment, presumably because Dai Yingda was still in the yamen and had not come out. If he made a move at this time, he would definitely be alerted. If Dai Yingda just hides in the yamen and doesn't come out, it will be really troublesome. So although there were many people spying on the convoy, they always kept a relatively safe distance.
At the same time, groups of unidentified people began to gather north of the Yanyun Division Yamen. Yuan Tao believed that the other party made this arrangement deliberately to prevent his own convoy from retreating north.
Lin Zhong naturally watched the changes around him silently, and became more and more anxious. He slowly approached Yuan Tao and said: "Shopkeeper Yuan, if we delay for too long, the other party will make arrangements for the surrounding intersections. Let's get away." That’s hard! Should we send someone to the Yamen to tell Mr. Dai to come out early?”
Yuan Tao shook his head slightly and said: "It doesn't matter, we just have to wait for the other party to gather all their hands here, so that once we get out of this encirclement, the other party will be much slower to make adjustments. I made an appointment with Boss Dai, Even if he has finished his work in the Yamen, he will not come out until the time comes.”
Seeing Yuan Tao's confident expression, Lin Zhong didn't ask any more questions at the moment. Just because he didn't understand where Yuan Tao's confidence came from, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He could only secretly pray to God for blessing.
Although Yuan Tao is calm and composed on the surface, he is still a little worried in his heart. He does have a way to deal with the pockets set by the opponent at the south intersection, but he needs to use external force to achieve it, and he is not fully confident whether this external force can appear on time as promised. Guaranteed, I just hope that the large amount of money quietly sent into the city by the seven surnames before closing the city gate yesterday can have the desired effect.
Seeing that the scheduled time was getting closer, Yuan Tao gradually became a little anxious. When Dai Yingda came out of the Yamen and no external force arrived, should he break through forcefully, or should he continue to wait here for variables to appear?
He was anxious, and so was Lu Kangtai, who was staring in his direction at the southern intersection. He had been sitting in a tea shop on the roadside for almost an hour, but Dai Yingda still didn't come out of the Yamen. Although he knew very well that the errands Dai Yingda went to the Yamen to run could not be done in a few moments, but at this time he had basically completed the deployment of troops and generals, and he wished that Dai Yingda would come out immediately and settle the deal as soon as possible.
At this time, suddenly a sound of horse hooves came from the south. Lu Kangtai turned around and felt his head hurt even more.
The people who arrived were more than ten cavalrymen, followed by forty or fifty infantrymen. The man leading the team, Lu Kangtai, also knew him as Gao Yongshou, the city defense commander who had hosted a banquet at Qingfeng Tower in the city just a few days ago.
Gao Yongshou arrived at this intersection on horseback, sat on his horse and turned around, looked around, raised his whip and ordered: "Disperse all these idle people. They are not allowed to gather here!"
Immediately, the soldiers responded and dispersed to various places at the intersection, driving away the many idle people gathered here.
Lu Kangtai secretly thought that it was unlucky, why did Gao Yongshou come so late and so early, but he got out just when he was about to do business and ruined his plan.
Lu Kangtai couldn't restrain his anger, so he walked out and greeted Gao Yongshou: "General Gao Yongshou, why did you suddenly drive these people away from this place?"
Gao Yongshou didn't seem surprised by his appearance. He sat on the horse without moving and slowly responded: "Boss Lu, I just ordered them to leave here. If you want to argue with me about right and wrong, then I will They need to be searched!”
"You..." Lu Kangtai knew as soon as he heard that the other party already knew that these people gathered here had a special purpose, which made it clear that they were here deliberately to ruin his affairs. But Lu Kangtai couldn't say it clearly, he just glared at Gao Yongshou angrily, thinking that the money I gave you was fed to dogs.
(End of chapter)