In Liaodong, a 200-stone fishing boat sailed north along the Liao River under the cover of night. There were four people sitting in the boat. The leader was still Zhong Huan, the other was a Khitan named Yelu Kang, and the other two were named Li Wan, one named Wang Hu, and a boatman formed a mixed team. Zhong Huan and the boatman were the inner guards, Yelu Kang was a member of the Yuguanxi Army and served as the guide, while Li Wan and Wang Fu were the scouts. Elite.
Their mission was very clear, to assassinate the foreign monk Hu Shatu. In fact, Zhong Huan prepared for a month on Yanshan Road and learned a lot of detailed information from Yang Qin and other Jin Kingdom insiders. I know how to get to Shangjing, and I also know how to kill Hu Shahu.
It is safest to take the water route. Although the Jurchens are a fishing and hunting people, there are very few actual fishermen. They mainly focus on hunting in the mountains. However, they cannot reach Shangjing from the Liao River. They will transfer to a tributary from Guide County in the north of Shenzhou. Huifachuan, then enters Songwa River, and finally enters Huntong River, directly arriving at Shangjing.
It was getting brighter and they had entered the Huifa River. There was a thin layer of mist on the river. Zhong Huan looked out from the window of the fishing boat. It was desolate in late autumn. There was not a single residential house on the shore. There was no human habitation everywhere.
Yelu Kang explained to Zhong Huan with a smile: "There is still a small population in the southeastern part of Liaoning, but the farther north you go, the smaller the population is. However, the area is vast. Sometimes you can walk for ten and a half months without seeing a single person."
Yelu Kang was very young, only in his early twenties. He was a prisoner of war. His mother was a Han captive from the North, and his father was a Khitan and a slave. Therefore, he was born a slave and followed his father around when he was a teenager. Salt and supplies, once he fell ill, his father stole a piece of salt to treat his illness, but was beaten to death, and his mother was also abused to death by Jurchen soldiers.
Yelu Kang was incorporated into the miscellaneous troops stationed in Pingzhou. After the Western Army entered Yanshan Prefecture, he became a deserter and ran to the Western Army to avenge his parents. He has Han ancestry, and he understands Han, Jurchen and Khitan, who speaks three languages, was recruited by the Western Army and officially became a member of the Western Army. This time he was selected by Zhong Huan and became a guide.
More importantly, he is the only person who has seen Hu Shatu.
"The Jurchen population is not large to begin with. Basically all the young and strong men have died in the war. The remaining women and children have been concentrated in the Shangjing area, so the population in Shangjing is relatively large. Even if we see the village, it will definitely be empty. I am working in the Jin Kingdom When he was a slave, he would travel to various places to carry supplies to Shangjing.
In the afternoon, the test was over, and the five Jurchen soldiers went back to the sentry tower. Only then did Zhong Huan discover that there was a sentry hiding behind the two big rocks. It turned out that there were seven sentries in total, not five, which really surprised him. Breaking into a cold sweat.
"Commander, there should be ten people in the sentry tower!" Wang Fu whispered.
Li Wan has rich experience and can tell what kind of firearm it is from the sound of explosion.
"How far is it from the river?" Wang Hu asked.
The ship passed through the sparkling water, and the upper capital was gradually left behind. The firelight on both sides became sparse again, and finally became pitch black. At five o'clock, the outline of a mountain appeared in front of them. Their purpose The land has arrived.
Langya Valley is currently a restricted military area of the Jin Kingdom. No one is allowed to approach, otherwise they will be killed without mercy. There are sentries standing guard and soldiers patrolling not only at the foot of the mountain, but also on the mountain.
Zhong Huan nodded, "Firearms testing is being carried out in Langya Valley, and the patrol soldiers should be above the entrance of the valley!"
The next step is to wait patiently. Of course, it is easy for them to kill these five people, but it is also easy for them to be discovered by the people in the sentry tower. Their mission is to assassinate Hu Shatu. Once they are exposed, the mission will completely fail.
Everyone was startled and hurried out of the cabin. They were startled when they saw three large white-fronted insects drinking water by the river. They were only a dozen feet away from them. A tiger raised its head and looked at them warily. Suddenly it raised its head.
With a roar, the tiger roared in the forest, and everyone helped to punt the boat away from the shore.
Under the cover of night, the ship sailed silently on the river. There were more and more dots of firelight on both sides of the river. They were like stars in the sky. They didn't know if they were military camps or residential buildings. At this time, they saw the majestic outline of Shangjing City.
They actually arrived at the capital of the Jin Kingdom.
Yelukang nodded and said: "I heard from my father about Langya Valley. He went there to build fortifications. He said that it is surrounded by cliffs and the valley inside is more like a gourd. I have never been in it, I have only stayed outside."
He pointed at the map and said: "Thirty miles east of Shangjing City, there is a valley called Langya Valley. This is a forbidden area and a testing ground for Jin Kingdom's firearms. Hu Shatu often comes here to test firearms. Sometimes he
Just stay for a few months."
Zhong Huan nodded and asked the boatman to rest on the shore. He gathered a few of his men, took out a map and put it on the small table. He said to the four of them: "I told you before, our goal this time is
To assassinate the foreign monk Hu Shatu, you do not have to go to Shangjing to assassinate this person. In fact, we cannot enter Shangjing. Han people are not allowed to enter the city at all. If we are discovered, we will definitely be arrested as spies.
But we still have a chance, and it’s here.”
At this moment, there was a loud "Boom!" not far away, startling the birds on the mountain and flying into the sky.
At this time, the boatman whispered outside: "There's something going on!"
At this time, it was already bright, and they climbed up along a ridge. The slope was very long, but not too steep, and there were not many trees. There were all kinds of strange big rocks scattered around. They used the shelter of the big rocks to climb quickly.
On the way to the top of the mountain, they saw no sentry soldiers.
Yelu Kang touched Zhong Huan and pointed to the northeast. Zhong Huan then discovered a sentry tower. Five soldiers should live in the sentry tower, and there should be other people in the sentry tower.
"It's right by the Hun Tong River. We can retreat directly from the river when the time comes!"
Going all the way north, no trace of people was seen again. Five days later, the ship entered the Hun Tong River, which is the Songhua River. They were very close to Shangjing, less than fifty miles away. They could not sail during the day. There were patrol ships on the river, so they could only cross at night.
past.
Leaving the boatman to watch the boat, the four of them climbed up the mountain carrying various weapons.
However, the Kingdom of Jin also knew that there would be basically no Western Army scouts, so they mostly prevented ordinary people from approaching the Langya Valley, and had soldiers guarding every road to the Langya Valley.
The fishing boat docked at a sheltered spot. A large rock protruded from the river, and the boat could be hidden underneath.
Zhong Huan's judgment was correct. When they saw the top of Langya Valley, they also saw five patrolling golden soldiers. They were holding bows, arrows and spears, standing on a high place and looking around.
Langya Valley is located in a large mountainous area. The entrance is very small, but there is another world inside. There is a Jurchen military camp at the entrance. Anyone who wants to enter the valley must pass through the military camp, and the defense is very tight.
The seven sentries have all returned to the sentry tower. Their task is also very simple. When the firearms field is undergoing testing, they must stand guard above and not allow outsiders to approach.
"What if he happens to be away during this period?" Li Wan asked worriedly.
The four people hurriedly squatted behind a big stone, and Li Wan whispered: "It's a barrel of fire and thunder!"
Zhong Huan smiled and said: "Our intelligence station received news that the Jin Kingdom's attack on Goryeo consumed a lot of firearms. They are doing their best to prepare firearms. Hu Shatu will basically be in Langya Valley. It is not only a testing ground, but also firearms development.
."
Zhong Huan nodded, he thought so too.
Li Wan was the most agile. He approached the top of the valley very quickly and covertly, and looked down for a while.
He quickly came back and said to Zhong Huan: "The other party has placed six wooden houses as test targets. There is also a brick house. Three have been blown up. There are still three wooden houses. The other test devices have not been taken away. They should take it away tomorrow.
Will continue to experiment.
Zhong Huan thought for a moment and said to everyone: "No matter what, we must bet this time, we will kill the sentry at night!"