Chapter two hundred and seventeen virtual soldiers
Two pieces of wet melon seed shells drew an arc and landed on the street of the pier. Two passers-by turned their heads to take a look. When they saw the man, they looked disgusted and walked away quickly.
"What are you looking at? Can you afford to offend me?" Tan Leizi waited for the two people to walk away and cursed in a low voice. Then he looked down at his open palm. There were only a few shriveled melon seeds left in it. From the appearance,
Knowing that there was probably no kernel inside, but with the mentality of giving it a try, he still chose a relatively plump one and stuffed it into his yellow teeth. When he bit it down, he felt no resistance.
"You are a scoundrel selling rotten melon seeds." Tan Lezi threw away the remaining melon seeds, his stomach growled, and he began to plan today's dinner in his mind. After all, it is the off-season at the dock, and there is news that the bandits are approaching.
After the news spread, all the merchant ships that were not drafted at the dock left, and the new arrivals did not dare to dock. As a low-level worker in the industry, Tan Leizi's economic situation was facing crisis, but there were also opportunities.
People were walking in a hurry on the street, and many people were carrying their luggage to seek refuge in the city. Tan Laizi's eyes turned around on those people, and after a while he cursed again, "How can there be any monks? When I am a three-year-old child, I am ten years old."
Two pieces of silver are so easy to earn."
There was a quarrel outside an inn opposite, and a few people were watching. Tan Laizi hurried over and listened to a few words. He soon realized that there was only one room left in the inn, and the two families who had escaped started fighting. These people wanted to stay.
People at the pier inn all want to wait for the boat from Huguang nearby, so that they can dock briefly when disembarking passengers, and maybe have a chance to board the boat.
I did some calculations in my head and found that all the inns that Tan Laizi knew were full, but there were still a few families who could stay there. If I introduced them, I could get some money, which should be enough for dinner. Of course, if one of the families just wanted to cross the river,
, then Tan Laizi can earn enough food for two days.
Introducing boatmen is a low-end business on weekdays, and even Tan Laizi is not too keen on it. One order is not enough for half a bowl of rice. But now it is different from the past. The Daotai Yamen has strictly ordered that no docking is allowed at Jiangbei Pier except for navy and draft ships.
Ships. Many people wanted to cross the river to avoid the invaders, and the market became unbalanced. An underground market for transportation was formed in one day.
Tan Laizi couldn't get big orders from the wharf in the past. Sometimes when he was half a bowl of rice away, he could only do this kind of low-end business. He knew a few boatmen, and the boats couldn't travel long distances. But after crossing the Anqing River, he now has ready-made goods
Resources. Of course, for Tan Leizi, the biggest obstacle is not resources, but his unflattering appearance.
He came between the two groups and said, "These travelers, listen to what the villain said, this inn outside the city is not safe. There were some gangsters who robbed it outside the city last night."
People on both sides looked at Tan Leizi, and when they saw his venerable appearance, they subconsciously took a step back, and at the same time they hugged the luggage in their arms tightly. The tall and thin innkeeper on the side glared at him. He was originally sitting on the ground and raising the price, but unexpectedly a person came out.
People will grab it in the next life.
"There is a good place here. It belongs to an innocent family in the city, just near the Yamen in Huaining County..."
Before he could finish speaking, the tall and thin shopkeeper was already furious. He took a step forward and pushed the short Tan Leizi.
Just be kind. Get out of here and don't cheat in front of our house."
Facing the shopkeeper who was more than a head taller, Tan Leizi resisted and said angrily, "Shopkeeper Qian, I'm warning you, don't do anything. You can't resist me when I get angry. Oh, how dare you hit someone?"
, do you still have the king's skills? I will use a trick again, but don't blame me for being harsh, ah... spare your life!"
Everyone at the dock knew this disgusting, skinny young man, so they didn't have to worry about the consequences of beating him. Shopkeeper Qian beat him all over the place, and beat Tan Lezi to the ground in a few strokes.
The onlookers around him cheered in unison. Shopkeeper Qian was so majestic, but this strenuous exercise made him breath a little bad and he needed to take a break.
Two guys rushed out from behind and wanted to help. How could shopkeeper Qian let them share the hero's glory? He immediately waved his hand coolly and said, "Back off, back off, I, today, I want, I want..."
After another intermission, Shopkeeper Qian finally regained his breath and said, "I want him to see my skills."
A waiter saw the sweat on Shopkeeper Qian's head and couldn't help but whisper, "But Shopkeeper, those two groups of guests have left."
"Ah!" Shopkeeper Qian turned around in a hurry and saw that the two groups of noisy guests had already gone to the east. "Then hurry up and chase them. There is still an empty room."
After shopkeeper Qian chased after him, Tan Laizi covered his head and stood up, surrounded by people pointing at him and laughing.
This was not the first time. He cursed in a low voice, but he didn't dare to speak loudly because shopkeeper Qian hadn't gone far and it would be troublesome if he heard it.
As he walked out silently, someone took the opportunity to flick his head with fingers from above. Tan Laizi had no morale at this time and could only look back and glare at those people.
Amidst the laughter, Tan Laizi finally left the scene. He would not be beaten for the time being, but dinner had not been settled yet and he had to think of something to do.
Just as he was going to the small pier on the Wanshui River, Tan Leizi suddenly stopped, and there seemed to be a scene in his eyes just now.
He suddenly turned his head and saw the back of a Taoist priest using the Bagua technique, walking downstream, constantly looking up at the city wall as he walked.
"This is probably what's for dinner." Tan Laizi stayed for a moment, then cheered up and followed.
…
"It was discovered by a traveler from Shengtangdu. This wandering Taoist priest was not busy asking people for fortune telling along the way. He wandered repeatedly at Shengtang Gate, Wanyicang and other places. His eyes were not on the pedestrians, but he kept checking the city wall.
Went to Shuiying Station before returning to the city."
Beside the parapet of the Jixian Gate Tower in the north of the city, Pang Yu just put down his telescope and felt much more relaxed, because if he calculated the time, the rogue spies should be rushing to Luzhou soon, and it was very timely to discover the spy traces.
He looked at Jiang Fan in front of him and asked: "The position of the sitting detective was also tracked by Na Yaxing?"
"Exactly, he lives in Datong Lane inside Jixianmen. There is another person in this household who is acting suspiciously. He should be the companion who came with the Taoist priest. The detective is a native of Huaining. He used to sell fish in the city.
"About the year before last, I had a conflict with other fishmongers and lost all my property. I don't know when I colluded with bandits."
Pang Yu sighed. At this time, social conflicts were acute. There would be many people everywhere who were dissatisfied with reality, and even many people who were desperate. As long as the bandits spent a little thought and money, it would not be difficult to find internal agents.
"Keep a close eye on the whereabouts of the two of them. That person is someone like a gangster who has been hanging out in the market for a long time. He is more suitable for doing these things than my garrison. If there is no serious evil, the Caogang might as well hire some."
"But this person... This person has a special image and is unforgettable. I'm afraid he is not suitable for this kind of tracking."
Pang Yu smiled and said, "I don't mean that we must hire him. I mean that all kinds of people can use his strengths."
"Young man understands."
Pang Yu looked at Datong Alley again, then turned and walked down the city tower. After getting on his horse, he said to Jiang Fan, "I am going to meet Master Pi at this time. Anqing will start martial law tomorrow, and Caobang will be there as planned."
Spread the news in the city."
…
On December 9th, Anqing City was under martial law. Only the Shengtang Gate of the five gates was still open. People who entered and exited the city gates were subject to questioning. The two levels of the government began to mobilize according to the plan provided by Pang Yu. Passing ships were not allowed to dock at the docks.
Soldiers were gradually organized in the village, and many straw sheds and chains were built on the city wall. More people were carrying the defensive equipment, ranging from stones, ash bottles, boiling oil to small copper and iron cannons. The city wall collapsed slightly during the autumn rain.
There are also craftsmen repairing the place.
Affected by the martial law, a large number of people in Guanxiang entered the city with their young and old. They were afraid that if the bandits suddenly arrived, the five gates would be completely closed and there would be no river boats to ride on, so they would have no choice but to be slaughtered by the bandits outside the city. With the refugees
With the arrival of the new year, the city was overcrowded and people were in panic.
But in the afternoon, rumors arose in the city that a group of warships had arrived from the south of the Yangtze River, and thousands of people had disembarked and headed north. Everyone was locked up in the city and could not see what was going on outside, but the community below the city wall
Bingdu said that he saw it with his own eyes, and everyone was worried and excited at the same time.
A group of officers and soldiers appeared on the city wall, transported a cannon to the top of the wall, and fired three rounds. The ferocious sound of the cannon could be heard throughout Anqing. It was also rumored that nearly a thousand officers and soldiers came from the direction of Wangjiang. I heard that it was the governor of Huguang.
The pacesetter also went north.
On December 10, Pang Yu sat at Zhengguanmen Gate Tower, and messengers kept arriving to report on the progress.
Groups of red-coated soldiers were coming from the west, marching northward around Anqing outside the city.
The soldiers working on the city wall were talking a lot. Looking from a distance, they could only recognize the officers and soldiers. They couldn't even recognize the flags clearly, but they could tell that there were quite a few people. They were obviously going to fight the bandits. Everyone was quite excited.
excited.
Pang Yu felt a little nervous. The troops in the past two days were acting as garrison battalions. The Zhenfu team controlled all intersections. After the team walked out of Jixian Pass, they immediately turned to the west and took the small road back to the official road to Shipai.
, and then come to Fucheng again to play the role of a virtual soldier.
Because the equipment and clothing of the garrison camp were different from those of the ordinary Ming army, Pang Yu was afraid of being recognized as a garrison camp, so he specially asked Pi Yingju to impose martial law in Anqing and reduce the number of people staying outside the city. This way, the social soldiers and civilians on the city wall could see
Once the news arrives, the news will spread naturally in the city, and after being amplified through Caobang, it should be able to achieve the effect Pang Yu hopes for.
There are only five days left before the fifteenth day, but the two spies have never left the city. They went out twice yesterday and walked around the city, trying many times to get information from the soldiers.
Four thousand false troops have been added in two days. The atmosphere in the city is becoming more and more optimistic, and the number of officers and soldiers has become more exaggerated. But after a long time, there are so many people in the city, and it is difficult to guarantee that the news will not leak out. Pang Yu hopes that they will leave soon.
Today, they intensified their efforts. There were rumors in the city that the Ministry of War had mobilized reinforcements from several provinces to ambush the rogue bandits in Anqing, hoping to make the two spies nervous and busy leaving Anqing.
The waiting was always unbearable, and finally in the afternoon news came that the two spies had gone out with their luggage, hired a donkey cart in the city at a high price, and were heading to Shengtang Gate.
Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said to Guo Fengyou, who was waiting for orders, "Send the horses to go out of Jixian Gate quickly, put Tongcheng under martial law, and ask Magistrate Yang to act according to the plan."
After Guo Fengyou accepted the order, he immediately went out to make arrangements. Pang Yu called Jiang Fan, "The Cao Gang has made merit this time, and I will discuss the merits and reward them. But now the bandit situation is urgent. The next step for the Cao Gang is to assist Anqing's city defense, and we cannot relax."
"Do you think they will come to Anqing?"
Pang Yu shook his head, "The larger the scale of the bandits, the more supplies they need. Anqing has less food and more soldiers, so the cost-effectiveness of attacking Anqing is the lowest, and the most likely to go to Yangzhou. However, the bandits may not respect economic laws so much, we still have to fight
Anqing is preparing for war with all its strength, and Japanese officials will lead troops to Tongcheng tomorrow to try to deter the rogue bandits from outside the country."