Three similar checkpoints were passed in succession, each of which was heavily guarded and fortified. Every time he passed a checkpoint, Su Jin's heart tightened. According to the layout of Bagong Mountain, there would be 50,000 people, not to mention more than 10,000 people. What could be done? Su Jin had no idea whether the trick of bluffing and scaring people that he had carefully thought up would work.
The leader of Dazhai, Shen Yaozu, seemed to be playing hide and seek with them. Chen Laosi at the first level said he was at the second level, and the person at the second level said he was at the third level. After passing the third level, there was still no trace. Seeing his figure, Qiu Dabao looked at Su Jin apologetically. Su Jin had a smile on his face, chatting and laughing, and seemed not unhappy because of this incident.
"Envoy Su, in front of you is the Juyi Hall. The boss must be afraid that it would be unethical to receive the envoy on the road, so he must receive you in the cottage hall."
Su Jin smiled and said: "It's up to you to do whatever you want. I don't care about this. I just want to appreciate the majestic momentum and various weather conditions of Guizhai along the way. I also like it very much."
As he spoke, the mountain road suddenly rose up, turning a corner, and the top of the mountain was in sight; the lush green pine forest on both sides, the wind blowing through the bursts of pine waves, like strong waves hitting the cliff, and like the sound of thousands of troops shouting; the woods were cut to clear the way, Just like the furrows and passages cut in wheat fields, in this sea of forests, the bandits have ingeniously cut dozens of forest passages that are crisscross and winding like a maze.
These passages are like a huge spider web, covering the entire mountain. Su Jin has a keen eye and finds clues in the pine waves. At the intersection of every two passages, there must be a tall pine and cypress, between the branches and leaves of the pine and cypress. There is a small fortress platform hidden, which can be used as a lookout tower and an archery tower.
Su Jin suddenly understood the meaning of Pan Jiang's words that there was no other way to enter except a frontal breakthrough. No matter which direction you attack from, you will fall into the scope of this spider web-like reconnaissance network when you reach the main peak. within.
Su Jin had previously wondered why the bandits cut criss-crossing paths in the forest, destroying the natural barriers. Now he understood that no matter how dense the forest was, it would also provide opportunities for small groups of troops to pass through the forest and reach the mountain stronghold. These Once the passage is opened, it is absolutely impossible to reach the cottage and dig out the bandit's lair. Once you enter the dense forest, you will be under heavy surveillance. You may be lucky enough to escape a few hidden watchtowers, but it is impossible to escape them all. possible.
Su Jin was secretly alarmed, could these still be bandits? They were well-organized, had defensive measures in place, and were resourceful. In comparison, how could the loosely disciplined Song Dynasty Xiang Army be an opponent? The joint suppression of bandits in the previous few months was said to have invaded the mountains. , when they got here, Su Jin didn't believe their lies even to death. The Xiang troops from Luzhou and Shouzhou were already very capable of attacking the first checkpoint. They passed three checkpoints in a row and invaded the mountain stronghold. It's simply an idiot's dream.
Su Jin had to re-evaluate the strength of the bandits. It was said that the bandits originally numbered a thousand people, but after the encirclement and suppression, their number dropped sharply to four or five hundred. Su Jin expressed doubts about this statement. In this kind of terrain, how many officers and soldiers could Kill half of the opponent's people? Absolutely impossible.
Preliminary visual inspection showed that there were already four to five hundred bandits visible at the pass at the foot of the mountain and at the three checkpoints on the mountain. What's more, the location of the stronghold must be heavily guarded. A rough estimate showed that there were at least 89 hundred bandits. They had been annihilated previously. Half the rumors about bandits are lies.
Suddenly, Su Jin understood the real reason why Luzhou and Shouzhou were unwilling to send troops to assist. They must have suffered heavy losses in the previous campaigns against bandits. As for the annihilation of four to five hundred bandits,
It must have been a concealed trick to deceive the court into reporting victory and receiving rewards, but in fact they had not harmed the bandits at all.
Because of this, they realized how powerful the bandits were, and they invited them to help suppress the bandits. That just hit their sore spot. If there was a festival, even if there was no festival, Zhu Shiyong would never come back to interfere in this quagmire.
One kick.
"Command!" Dozens of minions poured out from both sides of the forest road, drawing swords and facing each other. Many groans also appeared from the treetops on both sides, and they bent their bows and pointed arrows at everyone.
"Presumptuous! Don't you know who I am?" Qiu Dabao was extremely angry at the bandits' behavior today. On weekdays, he walked up and down the village, and no one dared to stop him to ask for the password. Today, he must go wherever he goes.
Someone came to intercept him, which made him very embarrassed.
"The Second Master's forgiveness is something the First Master personally confesses. Everyone, including himself, must answer the exit order before they can pass. Second Master, please don't embarrass the brothers."
Su Jin knew in his heart that this was the mysterious boss trying to show off to him. He was in the midst of many checkpoints and was so disciplined. He was not only showing off, but also wanted to establish his authority.
Qiu Dabao suppressed his anger and said: "Down to earth and to heaven!"
"The lucky star is high!" the other party replied, "My brother is offended by the invitation from the second master."
Qiu Dabao snorted from his nose, spat, and raised his head up the mountain. Su Jin saw it in his eyes and remembered it in his heart. It seemed that the second head of the "Diamond Mountain Leopard" was not living a comfortable life.
I'm afraid he won't even be able to take control of the village.
After walking for about a stick of incense, no one came to ask questions on the way. It seemed peaceful, but Su Jin vaguely felt that many pairs of eyes in the woods around him were watching him, like the eyes of hungry wolves in the dark night, which made people feel uncomfortable.
I felt like a thorn in the side, and felt uneasy all over my body.
The tall cottage gate was right in front of him. To Su Jin's surprise, a gap about ten feet wide was dug out in front of the gate. It was similar to a moat outside the city. However, there was no water flowing in the gully, only thousands of meters wide.
The bamboo thorns and wooden thorns with thousands of pointed upwards look shuddering.
"Master Su, the special envoy for grain affairs at the foot of the mountain, has come to see the boss and lower the suspension bridge." Qiu Dabao shouted loudly.
Dozens of heads appeared above the gate of the village, and one of them shouted: "The boss has ordered that the suspension bridge will not be opened today. If you want to see the boss, you have to find a way to enter the village by yourself."
"Asshole, what does this mean? The two countries are at war, and they treat envoys with courtesy. Since they are letting people go up the mountain, why not let them enter the stronghold? Put down the suspension bridge, and I will go in and talk to the boss."
Qiu Dabao was completely angry. Shen Yaozu didn't take him seriously. He ordered himself to lead people up the mountain, but he made every effort to make it difficult for him to get off the stage in front of his old friends. He could see the deep meaning in the eyes of Su Jin and others.
Deep disdain, you want to put on a show, but you come to damage my face, you are really not a fucking thing.
"Second Master, what you said is wrong. Who dares not to listen to the words of the First Master? From beginning to end, the First Master's orders are the edict of my village. I am sorry that I cannot obey the words of other cats and dogs."
"You mother-in-law Diao Mazi, you wait for grandpa. I know you are not angry with me Zhuan Shan Bao for taking the position of the second village leader, but you have no reason to go against me everywhere. Don't be complacent and offend me Zhuan Shan Bao. You
I’m afraid I won’t have a good life.”
"Stop talking about those useless things. What happened to you, the leopard? When you first came to the village, you were not as gray as a leopard. Don't worry about grandpa. If you have anything to say, go talk to the boss. I'm just
You act according to orders, is it possible that you have a traitor in the back of your head and don't respect the orders of the master?"
"Cao your sister...!"
Qiu Dabao jumped angrily, but Su Jin grabbed him and said, "Second Master, why do you need to be angry with these villains? Isn't it just a suspension bridge? How dare I come to this tiger's den if I can't get through it?"
Su Jin turned to Mahan and said, "Ma Han, I leave it to you!"
Ma Han cupped his hands and said, "Sir, just take a look."
After saying that, he stepped forward and stared at the suspension bridge for a while. Wang Chao on the side laughed and said: "Can you do it? If you can't, let me, your brother, do it. Can you just stare down the suspension bridge?"
Ma Han said angrily: "I'm just looking for a loophole, you know nothing."
Wang Chao ridiculed: "Have you found it? Hurry up and don't waste time."
Su Jin smiled bitterly and shook his head. These two guys like to fight when it comes to showing off their skills, but Su Jin doesn't think there is any harm in this. The two of them work hard to be the chief guards and practice martial arts every day, which is good for themselves.
There is no harm in this, competition promotes progress.
"Please ask the second master to lend me a bow and arrows!" Ma Han raised his hands and said to Qiu Dabao.
Qiu Dabao signaled a minion behind him to hand the bow and arrow to Mahan, and asked doubtfully: "Hero, what are you doing with your bow and arrow? Are you trying to break the chain of the suspension bridge? That's an iron chain, I'm afraid it won't work.
"
"Hey, if it's not an iron chain, how can I show my skills? Today I'm going to open the eyes of you little bandits."
Qiu Dabao rolled his eyes. He was embarrassed to be scolded as a little bandit in front of his face, but he couldn't get angry.
Su Jin shouted: "Stop talking nonsense and take action quickly."
Mahan agreed, took the bow and stretched out his hand to pull out an arrow from the kettle, bent the bow and set the arrow, and pulled up the bowstring with all his strength. Everyone held their breath and stared at the suspension bridge in front, waiting for a miracle to happen, when they heard a loud "pop".
ring……
There was no sign of the expected feather arrow, but Mahan's violent cry was heard: "Oh, my mother, my mouth!"