Number of People

Chapter 2150: Gui Zi Juan: Xue and Xing compete, Dong Ze encounters the enemy

“That’s the Huiqi Palace. Back then, Duke Ping of Jin thought he could imitate his ancestors, the Jin Wenggong Alliance, to dominate, so he built the Huiqi Palace here, but he didn’t expect that it would become a laughing stock.”

 The carriage jolted the group a little uncomfortable, and the atmosphere was a little tense. Baoqin was also aware of this, so he deliberately stirred up a conversation so that everyone would not be too agitated and afraid.

He had already passed Huishui, but he could still see the scene along the Huishui River. Baoqin opened the curtains, pointed to the somewhat blurry distance and said: "Leqi Palace, Tongtian Palace, and Linggong Terrace are known as the three palaces of the Jin Dynasty. If the palace was built during the reign of Duke Wen of Jin, it would be justified, but if Duke Ping of Jin came to build it, it would make the Fang family laugh."

"As expected, sister is very knowledgeable. We only know a little bit about this somewhat obscure history, but we don't know the details." , and further ahead is Dong Ze, right? It is said that Dong Ze gave birth to a dragon, is this true?"

Xue Baoqin didn't expect that Xing Xiuyan was so familiar with the history of Jin. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Dong Ze's birth of dragons is just an ancient rumor. Where can there really be dragons?"

"Sister, this Dong Ze is famous for its Dragon Pond. According to legend, it was the place where Dong's family was granted the title of Shun to raise dragons. The willows growing around Dong Ze are all sacred objects. It is said that with the power of the conferment granted by Shun, a fence can be built around it so that the dragons cannot enter. ." Xiuyan said with a smile.

There were six or seven people crammed into the carriage. In addition to the three girls, there were also their personal maids. The Lingguan was a little girl and couldn't help but ask: "Aunt Xing, do you think Dong Zeli really has a dragon now?" Can Yang Liu stop Long Fei Jiutian?"

Xue Baoqin laughed and said, "Sister Xiuyan, you said that the willows produced by Dong Ze are of very good quality. I know that they can be used as arrows. But to say that Shun's divine power can bind dragons is to spread rumors. There are no dragons in the first place. How can you say that dragons are imprisoned and raised? I have also heard of the dragon pond. How can ancient myths be taken seriously?"

The bickering between Xue Baoqin and Xing Xiuyan immediately made the atmosphere in the carriage much more lively. Everyone was a little uneasy before, but now seeing the grandmothers chatting and laughing happily without any fear, their hearts calmed down, even sitting in the carriage The two maids and women standing beside the shaft outside the carriage, as well as the rough-and-tumble maids at the back of the carriage, felt much more at ease.

"Get off the bus from here, and there is Tangshan Mountain thirty miles over there. There is Chengtang Temple on the mountain, which is quite majestic. It is also called Jingshan Mountain. It is called 'looking south to Yanze' in the Book of Mountains and Seas, which means that this Tangshan Mountain or Jingshan Mountain, It also produces rare things." Seeing that Xing Xiuyan was knowledgeable and knowledgeable, Xue Baoqin also gained some fighting spirit and was interested in taking another test.

"Sister said, 'Looking south to the salt merchant's marsh, looking north to Shao Ze, there are many grasses and potatoes on it, and the grasses on it are many peppers; the yin is mostly ocher, and the yang is mostly jade. There is a bird, and its shape is like a snake. It has four wings, six eyes, and three legs. It's called Suyu, and it sings loudly. If you see it, you will be afraid.'?" Xing Xiuyan asked with a smile.

Xue Baoqin was shocked. She didn't expect that Xing Xiuyan was so familiar with "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Ordinary people knew about such miscellaneous books, but they only knew them in general. However, Xing Xiuyan actually recited it, saying that Lin Daiyu had read extensively. , I’m afraid I can’t do it, right?

"I didn't expect that my sister also knows so much about miscellaneous books such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Yes, it is about this sourness. If people see it, there will be fear, but if they eat its flesh, they will not get drunk after drinking it. If your husband can eat it, then you no longer have to worry about getting drunk." Xue Baoqin said with a smile.

"Sister, I'm afraid this is a real myth, right? It's fair to say that it's unlucky to see such a magical bird. You can eat its meat and not get drunk, but it's just a rumor." Xing Xiuyan shook his head repeatedly.

"You don't believe in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but you believe that Shun granted the Dong clan the title of raising dragons, so where did this rumor come from?" Xue Baoqin asked in return.

"Sister, have you ever read "Zuo Zhuan"?" Xiuyan asked with a smile: "There is a record in "Zuo Zhuan: The 29th Year of Zhaogong". Sister, if you think about it carefully, Du Yu of Jin Dynasty also noted this paragraph. Woolen cloth."

　　Although Xue Baoqin has read "Zuo Zhuan", he has not read it carefully. How can he remember it in such detail? But Xing Xiuyan dared to say that, and there must be a reason for it. She felt unhappy, but she couldn't express it. She was originally in a lively and relaxed atmosphere, and she became competitive. If she wanted to be unhappy, she would fall behind, so she had to laugh. He said: "My sister is still attentive. Of course I have read "Zuo Zhuan", but I can't remember this paragraph."

Seeing that Xue Baoqin admitted his shortcomings, Xiuyan also admired Xue Baoqin's magnanimity. Xue Baoqin could not let Baochai do this.

While the two women in the car were laughing and bickering, Duan Xipeng and Feng Jinchang were anxiously urging the group of people to go south quickly and cross this increasingly dangerous section of road.

 The road ahead began to change course to the west, and Duan Xipeng knew that Dong Ze was coming.

 Dongze is a forested area, and the smell of water can be smelled from a long distance.

Duan Xipeng had asked Dong Ze before coming here. Before the drought a few years ago, the water surface area was so large that it would take a day for a boat to go around it. However, in recent years there have been severe droughts and the water surface has shrunk greatly. It has become a swamp, and even the soil on the ground has hardened, becoming a dense area of ​​aquatic shrubs and a haven for bandits.

“Gao Dahu, Tang Tianshun, you take a group of people over and clean up the area along the road first...” Duan Xipeng knew that this could not wait.

It would take at least half a day to clear this line before passing through. There was no time. He did not dare to wait, so he could only pass while clearing.

At worst, let a group of people guard the carriage and cover it with human shields.

A group of knights quickly rushed out and cleared the woods and bushes within twenty steps on both sides of the road. They were followed by more than twenty vigilant soldiers holding bows and arrows. Once discovered, they would be the first to attack. Time to launch attacks to support.

Even Baoqin and the others in the car felt the tense atmosphere outside the car and did not dare to speak anymore.

The carriage's speed did not slow down, but the bumps were even worse. The post road next to Dong Ze had been damaged by pedestrians and vehicles, and the mud was soft, so it was very undulating.

Six or seven cavalrymen maintained their prepared posture, forming a comb shape of varying widths, and rode slowly along the mixed area of ​​shrubs and trees to the east of the post road.

Each of them holds a one-handed crossbow in one hand and a narrow-edged knife in the other. They maintain a distance of ten steps from each other, so they can launch attacks at the first time and coordinate with each other, so that the whole group can march on the post road. The areas where the cavalry pose a threat are basically covered.

As partridges and pheasant-like birds flew up from the trees, the cavalrymen also became a little nervous.

With a loud roar, a cavalryman landed on the ground, followed by continuous bursts of crossbow bolts and slashing sounds of swords. Immediately, four or five cavalrymen dispersed, and more than twenty archers had already spread out to form a line. The attack line quickly pointed in the direction indicated by the cavalry and began to draw bows and arrows.

Feng Jinchang has already rode to the front line. Duan Xipeng needs to take command. He will be on the front line. Fighting in battle is not his specialty, but he is not that incompetent scholar. After all, he has practiced for many years. The body is no stranger to martial arts, including horseback riding and archery.

"put!"

The archers fired the first round of arrows skillfully, and soon there were low or high screams from the woods.

Before the second round of arrows was released, a large group of ragged soldiers, or bandits, had already emerged from the woods and rushed towards the open area in a chaotic manner.

Feng Jinchang made a rough estimate and found that there were about fifty or sixty people. But if we include those who continued to rush out later, it was estimated that there should be one or two hundred people.

Feng Jinchang slowly drove his horse back, and also called on the archers to step aside in an orderly manner to create a trumpet-shaped gap. Facing the rebel bandits who rushed out, the second round of arrows poured out. Such a dense attack Under the formation, there was almost no place to hide, and with no armor, at least seven or eight people fell to the ground.

As more than thirty riders swept in from the side and rear, the narrow-edged knives in their hands shone brightly in the sun, adding a bit of bloodiness out of thin air.

Under this combined attack, the rebel bandits, who had not received much formal military training, were powerless to resist. The cavalry's iron hooves passed by with a crash, and the entire formation collapsed amidst the horrifying screams. Dozens of soldiers followed closely behind. The infantry rushed over quickly with spears in hand, and then harvested this wave of enemies who had become prey.

Duan Xipeng did not participate in this wave. In his opinion, such a war is meaningless. It only poses a threat to his side and is cleaned up by the way. In this situation, one or two hundred people are like a sneak attack on him, which would be too underestimated. .

Maybe he can't deal with a rebel army of one or two thousand people, but he still thinks that this small group of rebels can be used to practice his skills.

 A wave of harvesting eliminated this group of people, and the dozens of captives left behind took the initiative to explain the situation.

As expected, it was not the rebel army, but the participating bandits who had been hiding here. After most of the bandits had gone west to Jiangzhou or south to Wenxi to find the rebel army, they were the only ones who were unwilling to leave Dong Ze. They are in their old nest, but they can't hold on for long.

As the rebel army's offensive in the west becomes more and more fierce, fewer and fewer passing convoys and horses are seen on this road, so they still take risks even though they know that the people in front of them are not easy to mess with. I'm so hungry that I can't stand it anymore.

　　Disperse these bandits and captives and let them find their own way to survive. It seems that they can only go to Jiangzhou to join the rebel army. These bandits have no horses, and they are not worried about them passing the news.

Duan Xipeng and his party continued to go south. At this time, Jiangzhou's rebel army had no time to catch up with him and his party, but the situation over Wenxi was even more dangerous. It was not known whether the Yi family's rebel army had already moved towards Wenxi'an in the east. The front line of the city has advanced.

 (End of this chapter)