Late at night, the walls of Tongcheng were brightly lit again, and lanterns were hung on some high lamps that had been damaged during the day.
The lights of the rogue camp outside the city spread everywhere, and its scale was larger than last night. However, after defending the city during the day, the soldiers at the top of the city were no longer as frightened as they were yesterday.
During the day, there were thousands of rogue bandits on the east wall, but their offensive was not fierce and they did not attack the city wall. Their main attack direction was on the south wall and occupied a section of the city wall, but they were finally counterattacked by the government soldiers.
This counterattack dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the rogue bandits, and no follow-up offensive was organized after that.
At the crenellations of the south and east walls, guards holding the bottom of pots still poked their heads out from time to time to check the walls to prevent rogue bandits from secretly digging into the city.
There was a mess under the city wall, filled with damaged bamboo ladders and desks, surrounded by countless stones, and hundreds of corpses of bandits, including the seriously injured who could not move, squirming and groaning.
The soldiers at the top of the city followed the sound and threw stones from time to time, but they were not very accurate in the dark night. The groans continued, and the soldiers' efforts were in vain, so the wounded soldiers were left wailing below the city.
Near the Ximen Tower, there is a dark section in Tongcheng's bright necklace.
There was a chirping sound on the city tower, six soldiers controlled the speed of the wheel, and two quick hands sat in the hanging basket and slowly descended to the bottom of the city.
As soon as they arrived at the city, the two Kuaishou separated in the darkness, and then lowered three Kuaishou and headed towards the official road and northwest. These five locations were where troops could be gathered, and Kuaishou needed to ensure safety.
After a while, flashes of fire broke out in several places.
After Pang Yu counted carefully, he motioned to a soldier next to him to pick up the lantern and swing it twice.
Pang Yu turned around and said to Yang Erming next to him, "Sir, there are no rogues ambushing troops outside the city. I will lead the strong men to attack now."
Before Yang Erming could speak, Mr. Sun on the side spoke to Yang Erming first, "Sir, think twice, we just need to protect Tongcheng and let the bandits retreat.
If a sneak attack occurs at night and the bandit leader is angered, and the bandits attack the city with all their heart, they are afraid that something unexpected will happen."
Yang Erming buried his head in silence, and Pang Yu said politely to Mr. Sun, "We are guarded by city walls in the city, and the soldiers can take turns to rest. The bandits are outside the city. They have no city walls to protect them. Their camps stretch for miles, and it is impossible to protect them.
careful.
As long as one of their camps is broken, tens of thousands of rogue bandits will be unable to rest, and tomorrow they will be in low spirits and will be unable to attack the city in a large scale, and this will slow them down for another day."
Pang Yu turned to Yang Erming again, "According to the confessions of several bandits caught at the head of the city today, the Eight Bandits' troops only attacked Shouzhou for one day, and immediately evacuated when they saw that the city defense was strong. They retreated after two days of attacking Shucheng, and the two in Chaoxian County were unable to do so."
It was conquered on 1st and 2nd, and Lujiang was also prepared to evacuate after two days of attacking. It happened to be a sneak attack in heavy fog before it was conquered. Only Luzhou was attacked for four days, just waiting for the return of the troops who had conquered Chaoxian County. It can be seen that the rogue bandits are bullies who are afraid of the strong and cannot bear it.
Heavy casualties.
The Eight Thieves usually withdraw their troops if they cannot attack a city for two days. It is their second day since they arrived in Tongcheng. As long as they cannot organize an offensive tomorrow, they will definitely withdraw."
Mr. Sun added, "Since we have to evacuate in three days, why bother to anger the thieves? Wouldn't it be better if we only need to stay for one day tomorrow and let them retreat on their own?"
"Mr. Sun's words are wrong. If we don't attack them at night to disrupt them, tomorrow's offensive may be even more fierce. Today they have attacked the city. How can we guarantee that they will not break the city tomorrow?"
Mr. Sun was speechless for a moment, and Pang Yu continued, "The rogue bandits are ferocious. Only by beating them can we make them withdraw as soon as possible, but we cannot let them leave safely.
They burned and looted our people along the way. From Lujiang to Tongcheng, all the villages and towns along the way were reduced to ashes.
I am just a squad leader, but I also know that the people are responsible for food, clothing, and parents. Bandits are killing people and setting fires outside the city. How can I just guard the city and save my life?
If a mere hundred men go out of the city to attack thieves, don't you know that you are in danger? But to kill thieves for the people, even if there are thousands of people, I will go there."
"good!"
Yang Erming said excitedly, "In the past, people only said that Pang Bantou was very brave in quelling chaos and killing thieves. Today, they realize that Pang Bantou's courage lies not in weapons, but in his heart for the people.
I rarely drink alcohol, but today I want to drink a bowl for my Tongcheng strong squad night attack warriors."
Mr. Sun shook his head and stepped aside. The young man was fierce-minded and easily excited when others provoked him. This also made him quite dissatisfied with Pang Yu.
Yang Erming went downstairs first. The door was brightly lit and a group of soldiers were removing the stone blocking the door.
The two of them stood at the entrance and exit. Ximen Street was filled with neatly-dressed strong men, their faces somewhat nervous. When they saw the two coming down, they all got up and stood up.
Ruan Jin, Wang Zenglu, Zhuang Chaozheng, and He Xianya came over and surrounded them.
Pang Yu said to several people, "I will lead five quickies in front to serve as guides, and Ruan Jin will lead five quickies behind to finish. If there are any bandits following after the night attack, they will not be allowed to return to the west wall and go west into the mountain by themselves. The assembly point in the mountain is
If you can't find the Fang family's Zeyuan in the dark of night, you can hide in the mountains for a few days and wait until the bandits retreat before coming out again."
Pang Yu said to the four people, "He Xianya will stay at the west gate. No matter who returns, they are not allowed to open the city gate at will. They must lower their quick hands to identify them one by one and confirm that there are no rogues following them around before they can open the city gate. If there are few people, use a crane to open the city gate."
The basket is hoisted up, and the city must be on guard."
He Xianya whispered, "My subordinates also want to go with the squad leader."
Pang Yu shook his head, "Captain He is commendable for his loyalty and bravery, but Ximen needs a reliable person to guard him. The retreat is tighter than killing the enemy."
He Xianya bowed slightly and retreated.
Pang Yu turned to the others and said, "Repeat the route of the night attack one last time. After going out, gather at the official road. Ten strong men will form two columns, with each squad leader in front and a corps leader finishing up. When attacking, we will go along the west gate official road.
, go south via the Martyrs' Temple in Xilotang, pass by the Wuyin Temple when retreating, and cross the path between the Tongxi River and the Yangshui River. If there are rogue bandits following you, fight back on the path between the Tongxi River and the Yangshui River."
Several captains nodded, and Pang Yu could tell that they were also very nervous. After all, there were tens of thousands of bandits outside the city. Once they left the city wall, they would have no cover. Once a mere hundred people were surrounded, they would be dead.
At this time, a group of soldiers came over with wine jars and bowls, and gave each strong man a bowl. Someone from behind came to pour wine, and Yang Erming also brought a bowl.
When all the strong men had finished serving the wine, Yang Erming raised the wine bowl and said, "You strong men of Tongcheng, with hundreds of small soldiers facing tens of thousands of bandits, I would like to offer you a bowl of wine to express my respect."
After Yang Erming raised his head and drank it all in one gulp, the young men were a little excited. The county magistrate was a high-ranking role in their previous lives, and he was also a rare high-ranking official. Today, he actually toasted to him, and they all raised their wine bowls and drank all the wine.
The scene in front of him reminded Pang Yu of the Anti-Japanese War Swordsmen. Although he never understood why he smashed the wine bowl, he was in this situation and it seemed difficult to express his excitement without hearing the sound after drinking.
"Kill the thief!"
Pang Yu smashed the wine bowl against the bluestone slab, and the wine bowl smashed into pieces on the stone slab.
"Kill the thief!"
Zhuangban followed one after another, and hundreds of bowls shattered on the stone slabs. With this sound, Zhuangban seemed to be full of indomitable momentum.
Yang Erming was stunned for a moment, then raised his right arm and slammed it to the ground.
...All the lanterns around the west gate were extinguished. In the darkness, the door leaf on the left made a rattling sound, opening up the space for two people to pass. Strong men in black filed out. After more than a hundred government officials went out, the west gate
Close it again immediately.
Thirty feet away from the city gate, the Yamen soldiers gathered here. The captains of each team whispered orders, and all the team members were in order.
Pang Yu gave the order at the head of the team, and more than a hundred government soldiers advanced towards the southern suburbs in the dark.
Two kuaishou were walking in front. These two kuaishou were both from Nanmen and were very familiar with this area. Even in the dark, they could identify the location based on the few dirtbags on the road.
More than a hundred people walked in order, heading towards the wild lights. The queue was filled with the sound of heavy breathing. From time to time, strong men fell down. The queue was confused for a while and then continued to move forward.
After passing the Martyrs' Shrine, the team turned to the southern suburbs, where bonfires were dotted in the wilderness and got closer and closer.
There was a cat meowing ahead in the darkness, and Pang Yu immediately stopped and responded with a low meow.
A quickie who opened the way appeared from the darkness and whispered to Pang Yu, "This is the leader, there are fires everywhere in front of you. If you pass there, people behind you will definitely see it."
Pang Yu said in astonishment, "Isn't there a camp next to the fire?"
"We are still far away from the camp. There are fires starting about half a mile away. One person is responsible for more than ten fires and will come out to add firewood after a while."
Pang Yu was stunned for a moment. In his impression, the camp was just a bunch of tents with some wooden fences outside. But when he saw the rogue camp during the day, it seemed that there were no fences. The colorful things in the back looked like tents, and the fire should be in the tents.
area, why should it be placed outside the camp.
But this trick seems to be really useful. Historically, Zhang Xianzhong set up bonfires outside the camp to prevent officers and soldiers from raiding. Pang Yu was at a loss at this time. If he attacked by force, the bandits could clearly detect the scale and scope of the attack through the surrounding bonfires.
direction, the advantage of Pang Yu's night attack no longer exists.
The team stayed in place, with some strong men whispering. Pang Yu couldn't think of a way for a while. It was risky for the team to stay here for a long time, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Wang Zenglu walked next to Pang Yu. After a moment of silence, he said, "Board leader, is the Tongxi waterway walkable?"
Pang Yu's eyes lit up and he realized that the bandits were camped in the southern suburbs. The camp was on the east side of the Tongxi River, so that the army could feed their horses and draw water. Following the river of Tongxi, they could directly enter the camp of the bandits.
Of course, torches cannot be lit in the river, and the river bed is lower than the ground, so the light of the campfire cannot reach it. These hundreds of strong men can go straight into the enemy camp.
The Kuaishou immediately said, "There is a cattle grazing path on the east side of the river. It is exposed when the water is dry in winter. It should not be submerged at this time. Most people don't know about it."
After a moment of silence, Pang Yu said to Wang Zenglu, "Count the number of people and let's go through the river."
Wang Zenglu responded and walked back to count the number of people, while Kuaishou went to notify the other companion in front.
While waiting, Pang Yu found that his back was wet with sweat. He looked back and could only see more than a dozen strong men in front of him. These farm boys had never had night training and lacked fighting skills, but they had no hesitation.
Following him to attack the camp of tens of thousands of rogue bandits, he suddenly felt a little moved in his heart.
Wang Zenglu returned after a while and said, "Reporting to the squad leader, the Third Squadron is missing one person, the Second Squadron is missing one person, and the Sixth Squadron is missing two people. I don't know where they went."
Pang Yu shook his head. It was normal for him to get separated in the dark, but it still annoyed him that the entire team was missing. This weakened the power of his attack a lot.
"You lead the way."
The Kuaishou nodded and took the lead in the direction of the river.
…There was no light from the stars and the moon in the sky, and countless bonfires were flickering on the bank, casting the shadow of the river bank on the other side. Tongcheng Zhuangban, dressed in black, was hidden in the shadow of the river, moving forward slowly and quietly.
There are overgrown weeds on the path beside the river. When the legs and feet are separated from the weeds, they make a soft rustling sound. The sound of the flowing water of Tongxi River covers up the soft sound of the weeds.
Pang Yu stared at the Kuaishou in front of him with wide eyes. Although he had adapted to the darkness of the river, he could still only see a blurry back. At the same time, he had to try to remember where he landed so that he would not miss the mark easily.
The quick man paused for a moment and took a look outside to determine how far away they were from the camp. The team walked very slowly. Although it had been nearly half an hour since they entered the river, they might not have passed the campfire area.
Pang Yu took advantage of his pause and moved behind him, but saw him suddenly retract and squat down.
Pang Yu hurriedly squatted down. There was a sound of footsteps on the shore, and a long shadow was cast on the other side. There was a splash on the shore. The man added some firewood to the nearest bonfire, but did not leave immediately.
The sound of footsteps approaching the river made Pang Yu's heart beat violently, and she gently held the handle of the knife.
A figure appeared above Kuaishou's head. The man was a little stooped and coughed violently toward the river.
Pang Yu lurked in the shadows of the river bank. Wang Zenglu behind him was breathing heavily, but Pang Yu knew that the bandit was in a bright environment and could not see Zhuang Ban in the shadow.
What he fears most now is that someone in the strong squad can't keep his composure. If he is exposed here, the effect of the surprise attack will be reduced by more than half.
Pang Yu controlled the sound of his breathing. Fortunately, the man didn't stand for a long time. He spat toward the river and slowly turned around and walked away.
The Kuaishou in front stood up in the darkness and continued walking forward.
Pang Yu came to Kuaishou's position and looked around. He was already at the edge of the camp. He could see a trench through the firelight, followed by a patchwork of tents. Of course, it was different from the tents he had imagined. Most of them were in tatters.
The quilt is just to keep out the wind and cold.
From here, he needs to move forward. He needs to bring all these hundred people into the river in the camp and attack them all at once, causing maximum chaos to the rogue bandits.
But at this time, he didn't know if the team behind him would follow, and he didn't have time to count the number of people, so he could only wait until he got to his position.
The quickie in front moved forward one step at a time, and Pang Yu followed behind him. His feet were very soft, and water had already soaked into his shoes. This feeling was very unpleasant on an icy night in early spring.
The water was getting deeper and deeper where he landed, almost stepping into the river. Pang Yu's calves were submerged in the water, and his calves were slightly numb.
Fortunately, we soon returned to the ground, feeling greasy and uncomfortable under our feet. After walking for a while with the fast hand, there was not much firelight on the shore, but some sounds began to be heard.
Kuaishou stopped and whispered, "Squad leader, we have already crossed the trench."
Pang Yu climbed up a step. There were tents on the shore, some remaining campfires were still glowing, and there were some figures walking around. Although they had entered the camp, they were not far from the ditch and were still on the edge of the camp.
"Move forward."
The Kuaishou was probably a little timid, so he paused for a moment and then said, "Then why don't you wait for the next one?"
Pang Yu looked back again and could only see five or six strong men. The path beside the river was too narrow and it was impossible to send someone to count them.
At this time, Pang Yu felt that he should let them learn to report numbers and pass orders. Now he didn't know how many people had followed.
But that was the end of the matter. Pang Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Don't wait, keep going forward."
At this time, the sound of someone talking on the shore came, and Kuaishou quickly squatted down again.
The voices were approaching, as if they were both men and women, urging them to do something.
Pang Yu didn't dare to make a sound, hoping that they would leave after a while.
While I was praying, there was a sudden loud splash in the river behind me, and then someone screamed in surprise.
There was an angry shout from the shore, "Who is it?"