After eating Sun Erniang's buns, I rested in Yucheng for another day. Wu Haogu did not get a fever again and the cold was mostly cured. So the next day, I packed my luggage and embarked on a journey eastward.

This time, when he continued to go east and left Yucheng County, Zhang Dubaozheng had already organized a large merchant group. In addition to Wu Haogu, Ximen Qing and others, two other caravans and more than ten travelers joined. The two newly joined caravans also had seventeen or eighteen guards each, plus Ximen Qing's twenty-two (excluding Ximen Qing himself), Wu Haogu's eight (including Guo Jing and Pan family guards), and Liu Dubaozheng's thirty, a total of ninety-five guards, almost the same number as that of the imperial guards.

However, everyone has a little heavy heart, and each face shows a solemn expression. There are heroes from Liangshan in front of them, and I don’t know if I can spend a few money to pass through this time.

Before the business group set off, Zhang Dubaozheng told everyone that he had sent his nephew Zhang Xizai to Daze Township with gifts to visit the leader of the Liangshan hero.

If the other party asks for a reasonable price, you can just pay some money to buy money. If the Liangshan hero asks for a high price, you can only get over it.

Because the business group had not received any response when they set off, everyone's face showed nervousness.

After leaving Yucheng, the large group of people first walked northward, crossed the ancient Bian Canal (the old road with the Bian River), and then headed east along the north bank of the ancient Bian Canal, and arrived at the soaking water at night.

Soaking water is a tributary of Sishui, connecting Sishui and the ancient Bian Canal. The ancient Bian Canal can directly lead to Kaifeng Prefecture, and Sishui is connected to Weishan Lake, Lu Canal and Zhong Canal (both part of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal). The Lu Canal pours into the Yellow River to the north, and the Zhong Canal in the south. At the same time, the Bian River (also part of the Grand Canal), the main water channel to the east of Kaifeng Prefecture will also pour into the Huai River. In the Haizhou area of ​​Huaibei, there are also a series of waterways such as Yunyan River, Qiangwei River, Xinmu River, and Xinyi River, which are also connected to the Huai River, Bian River, and Zhong Canal. This has formed a huge and well-connected water transportation and irrigation network.

With the support of this huge water system, the economy between the Huanghuai River and Huai River was developed, densely populated, and prosperous industry and commerce, surpassing Huainan and Jiangnan, and was the center of the economic and cultural heritage of the Song Dynasty.

It is midsummer now, and the two sides are soaked in water. There are endless rice fields and wheat fields. Green crops are connected together, waving with the wind, as if they are in a green ocean.

However, the villages on both sides of the soaked water are a bit sparse. At sunset, the business group is in a location where there is no village in front and no shop in the back.

"I'm walking a little slow today. I dare not rush to go into the village to rest. It seems that I'm going to sleep in the wild..."

Ximen Qing rode a horse and walked with Wu Haogu.

He walked slowly because Wu Haogu. His cold was not cured yet, he was weak and he didn't know how to ride a horse, so he couldn't walk fast at all. Ximen Qing would also take care of people, deliberately slowing down and walking slowly. Others saw that he had more than 20 guards, all of whom were strong and four or five of them were armored (paper armor), so he naturally did not dare to urge him. He could only accompany Wu Haogu to walk leisurely and slowly.

"Camping in the wild will not be taken advantage of by the Liangshan bandits, right?" Looking at the wilderness around, Wu Haogu couldn't help but worry about being robbed by the Liangshan heroes.

"Don't worry." Ximen Qing smiled, "We have many big cars in our ranks. We will form a car array later and camp in the water. You have three good players who can shoot pearl arrows, and I have four, and Zhang Dubao has three under his command. With ten good bows, even hundreds of bandits will not be afraid of them."

Ten fights hundreds... Ximen Qing is not bragging, but a true portrayal of the war in the era of cold weapons. According to the art of military affairs, it means that the military affairs are too good to be very good.

However, elite soldiers are very difficult to practice. The one-handed arrows of Lin Chong, Lu Qian, Wu Song alone is the ability to fight since childhood.

All of them were able to shoot twenty arrows in one breath with a step bow of eight or nine dou of pulling force in a very short time, and they could not lose their correct heads!

Ten hard hands that can shoot pearl arrows can shoot 200 sharp arrows at a time. If the enemy is not wearing armor, hundreds of people will have to lie down. In fact, there is no need to shoot so many to death. Shooting dozens of them at a time is enough to make hundreds of bandits collapse and escape.

Therefore, in the view of Ximen Qing, who has read some military books from his ancestors and often walks around, with the ten good players in the business group, it is enough to repel two or three hundred Liangshan heroes.

Those Liangshan heroes are just seeking money and will not really work hard.

...

It was dark and the moon was like a hook.

The bright moonlight shone on the Daze Lake, sparkling. A bonfire was once again lit in the sparse woods by the lake. There were more than twenty bonfires, and most of them were surrounded by Liangshan heroes wearing ordinary people's clothes and carrying various weapons, drinking wine and eating dry food.

Chao Gai, Wu Yong and Zhao Tieniu sat alone by a bonfire.

Zhao Tieniu brought the good wine that Liu Er had sent before, and gave it to Chao Gai and Wu Yongman, and said with a smile: "The three brothers are so kind and righteous. They only take the life of Wu Haogu, the one who is the one who is alone, and do not affect others. I think tomorrow will be the death of Wu.

But...will Wu Haogu escape back to Yucheng overnight after Liu Er went back to report the letter?"

"What he wants is that he escapes overnight," Chao Gai said with a smile, "Captain Song has already taken more than a hundred heroes to the north bank of Gubian Canal. If the Wu surnamed wants to return to Yucheng, he will be ambushed."

"What if he doesn't run away?"

Wu Yong laughed: "If we don't escape, how could the caravans with him agree? We, Liangshan, are willing to buy wealth from them, but we just want Wu Haogu's life. How could they be the same as Wu Haogu?"

These are all the strategies of military advisor Wu Yong. Zhi Duoxing from Liangshan is still a little bad in his stomach, and he can also understand people's hearts and know the principle that attacking the heart is the best.

"That's great!" Zhao Tieniu gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "The person surnamed Wu is dead now!"

In fact, the conflict between him and Wu Haogu was not very big, but he was too close to Chen Youwen, and Wu Haogu was going to take Chen Youwen's first position as the head of calligraphy and painting. This dynasty emperor was still a minister, and Wu Haogu would definitely try to replace the thug leader on Panlou Street after he took office.

Isn’t the relationship between Wu Haogu and Pan Daguanren and Wang’s concubine?

If he loses the "foundation" of Panlou Street, Zhao Tieniu will suffer...

"Brother Tie Niu," Chao Gai also laughed, "When we do things in Liangshan, we sometimes missed our mistakes?

But we Liangshan brothers are not familiar with calligraphy, painting, and literature, and we have been robbed of treasures. I hope Brother Tie Niu and Mr. Chen can give you a good price."

This time, the heroes of Liangshan sent so many people and even went to Xuzhou to commit crimes. That was a big risk. The ten thousand pieces offered by Chen Youwen alone were not rewarded. The calligraphy and paintings in Wu Haogu's hands were also the investment for the heroes of Liangshan this time.

If these calligraphy and paintings are to be taken over, Chen Youwen naturally needs to take over.

"Sure, certain." Zhao Tieniu quickly took a photo and put aside his chest.

"That's all right." Chao Gai smiled and said, "Military advisor! After the brothers have used up their wine and meat, they will set off tonight. Early tomorrow morning, they will be able to intercept the caravan from Yucheng.

What a thief, these are fat, so you can't run away!"

Although the goal of the Liangshan heroes' trip was Wu Haogu, they did not let go of those caravans based on the principle of grabbing grass and beating rabbits - they were not going to rob them, but to extort a toll.
Chapter completed!