Chapter 398： Smuggling into the city

The next day, Wang Dashan and the others finally returned.

But there was bad news. The Daqian team captured two cities along the way and were heading this way.

"They are about 10,000 people, and they are still five or six days away from us, but the cavalry can arrive in two or three days." Wang Dashan drank water and said: "The Guizhou army is also strange. They did not go to other places. They seemed to be heading straight to us. side."

Jiang Sanlang said: "I guess he wants to join up with King Cheng's rebels."

"How can this be good?" Patriarch Chen said with a worried look on his face: "The wheat in our fields has not been confiscated yet."

Old man Jiang took a puff of his pipe and sighed: "Maybe those people just want our food."

 Ten thousand people are dispatched and consume no less than eight thousand catties of food every day. How can they not rob the people along the way?

Maybe even some strong men will be captured to work for them.

Chief Chen was even more anxious: "Then what can we wait for? Hurry up and run away."

Jiang Sanlang shook his head, "Where to run? There are wars everywhere now, and nowhere is safe."

"Alas!" Old Man Jiang sighed: "It would be great if our village was built like a county wall. At least we can defend it until reinforcements arrive."

Ying Bao, who had been standing aside for a long time, suddenly said: "Dad, I want to go to the county town."

Jiang Sanlang was stunned: "What are you doing in the county town?"

"Captain Cao has ill intentions towards us and must be eliminated." Ying Bao said expressionlessly.

Jiang Sanlang immediately stood up, dragged his daughter outside, and whispered: "What you little kid says about whether to get rid of her or not, this is an adult's business."

The daughter is still a child. If someone thinks she is a cruel person, how will she find her husband's family in the future?

Yingbao said seriously: "This matter must be cut quickly. Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely kill Cao Shen."

Without a long sword, she might not be sure, but with the golden sickle, she could kill all Cao Shen's hundreds of men, not to mention killing him.

"As long as we capture the county seat and close the city gates, the Guizhou army will not be able to do anything." Ying Bao said firmly: "Moreover, Cao Shen has already committed murder in the county seat. The people of the county seat and some wealthy merchants must hate him. It’s deep in our bones that as long as we act with emotion and reason, they will definitely help us defend the city.”

Jiang Sanlang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay! But you can't do it alone. Why don't you ask Wang Dashan and Chen Zhu to bring some people with you, and I will go too. It's easier to do things with more people."

"Dad, you can't go." Yingbao refused: "At home, ask the villagers to harvest the grain quickly, just cut the ears of wheat, and deal with the rest later. Transport the grain and livestock to the depths of the Beishan Mountains and hide them. Take the old and the weak as well. Don't Stay in the village.”

The Guizhou army is not like bandits. They are here to regain the territory of the city. They must not have time to search for people all over the mountains and plains. Therefore, the depths of Beishan are a good place to take refuge.

Jiang Sanlang was still worried, but Ying Bao always insisted and let him stay in the village to resettle the villagers.

In the end, Jiang Sanlang had no choice but to agree to his daughter’s suggestion.

Subsequently, Yingbao selected about twenty people to go to the county town with her.

More than twenty people, using three carriages and several mules and horses, rushed to the county seat overnight.

There was no one at the post stations along the way. The post soldiers and post officials inside either fled or were killed by Cao Shen.

Cao Shen also took away all the mules and horses, leaving a dark and empty courtyard inside.

More than 20 people traveled all night and finally arrived near the county seat in the early morning.

Ying Bao and others did not step forward easily, but watched in the woods in the distance.

At this time, the gate of the county town was closed, but someone was keeping watch on the tower.

Chen Zhu: "It seems that they have closed the city gate."

“Then how do we get in?” one person asked.

Yingbao said: "Take the water route."

"Waterway? But we don't know how to swim. And it's daytime, so there must be someone guarding the waterway." Every county has a flowing water source, and Qinchuan County is no exception. This river is also the lifeblood of the entire county.

"You stay here, I'll go in by water." Ying Bao was dressed in a black shorts, dressed as a young man, and his face was painted with pot ash by his mother, making him look very funny.

Chen Zhu frowned and looked at Ying Bao: "Can you do it alone?"

"Okay! If I succeed, I will wave my coat as a signal." Ying Bao pulled out a red coat from nowhere, "This is it. When you see it, hurry to the city gate. I will find a way to open the city gate."

She took out a white piece of clothing from her bag: "If I wave this, you will run away quickly, return to the village immediately, and lead the villagers into Beishan."

Chen Zhu and Wang Dashan were silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

After Ying Bao finished explaining, he turned around and ran towards the river.

Half an hour later, she ran to the river, cut some willow branches, plaited a scribbled coir raincoat and put it on her body.

He cut a few more reeds and made a few tubes for breathing in the water.

Then he came near the city wall and quietly got into the water.

Yingbao clamped her nose with a clamp, held the reed tube in her mouth, and slowly swam underwater.

She didn’t emerge from the water until far past the guard’s inspection point.

Finding a deserted place to climb ashore, Yingbao immediately went into the cave to rest for a while, then changed into a pair of boy's clothes and came out.

Grab a handful of dirt from the ground and smear it on your face so that no one can tell that she is a girl, and then you go to the market.

She wanted to find out where Cao Shen stayed at night.

There were very few people on the streets of the county town, and everyone was in a hurry.

There were also people selling goods at stalls, but they were all very nervous.

Yingbao took out his copper coins and bought a piece of cake to eat. He also bought a bamboo basket from a bamboo shop and put it on his arm.

Go back to the cake seller again and buy all his sesame cakes.

Then she walked slowly towards the hook fence with the bamboo basket on her arm.

On the way, someone wanted to buy her sesame cakes, so Yingbao sold some. Finally, she came to the teahouse outside Goulan and walked in to sell sesame cakes.

No one is reading today, and there are only a few tea-goers, but there are still a few busybodies whispering something.

Ying Bao leaned over and stood nearby to eavesdrop.

"The satin shop on East Street was robbed last night, and all the cloth in the shop was moved away. Do you think it was the people from the Yamen who did it again?"

“Who knows, the world is in chaos anyway, and good people will only live long and cause trouble for thousands of years.”

“No, alas, I don’t know when the imperial court will send troops. If the city gate continues to be closed day by day, our people will be harmed by those people sooner or later.”

Several people drank tea and sighed for a while, and then another person said: "Recently, even the mother of Yihonglou has begun to complain, saying that the ladies in her family have been given free tickets. A high-ranking official does not pay for the tickets. It is really unprecedented." No one comes."

Another person said: "What's so strange about this? Not to mention Yihongyuan, he is the top performer in Wuchunyuan, so why don't he just play for free? It is said that Cao County Captain is having a banquet tonight and specially sent someone to inform Wuchunyuan. The squad leader asked him to select a few dancers who are proficient in Hu Xuan dance, saying that he wants to entertain a noble person. "

"Is it true?" A man stretched his neck and asked, "Where is he entertaining guests? Can we take a look?"

The other person rolled his eyes at him: "Of course he is in the county government. At this time, can he entertain guests in a teahouse and restaurant?"