Xie Ming

Chapter 90 Black Ditch
On the sixth day of April, the entire army crossed the border of Heigou.

The terrain here is extremely dangerous, with steep cliffs, a turbulent stream below, and rugged cliffs on both sides. There is only a small path halfway up the mountain, and the narrowest part is only wide enough for one person to pass by by leaning against the wall.

This place is still sixty miles of mountain road away from the designated camping and assembly point to the west of Yi County.

When Xu Jizu was young, he followed his uncle into the mountains to hunt. When he went far away, he came to Heigou several times.

Few people know about this cliff path, and its difficulty is beyond Xiao Lang's imagination.

It was almost noon, the first quarter of the day (11:15).

Led by Xu Jizu, who was a countryman, Xiao Jingchuan's entire army advanced with difficulty on the cliff path.

At the end of the team, Li Huchen, Xiao Jingchuan, Qiu Zhizhong, Gu Changting and others were walking together.

"Oh my god, what kind of road is this? If I keep walking like this, my butt will get worn out!"

Li Huchen was at the front of the group, muttering unhappily and peeing.

"Haha, Brother Huchen, I didn't expect that you look like a tiger heading down a mountain, and you're actually afraid of heights!"

"Compared to me, your body is a little wider and thicker, but not that exaggerated. You don't have to rub against the cliff to move forward!"

"If you walk this way, no matter how thick your butt is, it will definitely be worn out by night!"

Gu Changting was there to watch the fun, and it was rare for him to learn to make fun of others!
"Huh?! You're such a jerk! Just wait for me, I'll deal with you after I'm done with this!"

Li Huchen looked at the steep cliff in front of him and felt extremely nervous. He was unable to handle all the tasks at once, so he could only remain indignant when hearing Chang Ting's teasing and did not dare to move at all.

"Haha, alright, everyone, be careful, this section is really difficult!"

"Mr. Hu! Pass the message forward. After we pass this narrow road, find a wider place and let everyone rest for a while!" Xiao Jingchuan mediated from the side. He was worried that the soldiers had been marching on dangerous roads for a long time and might encounter accidents, so he gave this order.

"Oh! Great!" Li Huchen felt as if he had been pardoned and finally breathed a sigh of relief, so he hurriedly delivered his speech.

At six quarters after noon (12:30), after walking for more than half an hour, the army finally passed the most dangerous section of the Heigou Boundary. The front army then hurriedly found a spacious concave wall with a wide stone path under the wall, so the army was able to stop there to eat and rest.

During the meal, the vanguard Xu Jizu and Sun Peizhong came over to talk to Xiao Jingchuan about the road conditions in the later stages, and Li Huchen took the opportunity to come over.

"Hey, Xu Jizu, is your guidance correct?"

"Not only is it painful to walk, it's also dangerous. If we reach a dead end and have to turn back, it will be dark. What will we do then?!" Li Huchen was quite dissatisfied with today's route.

"Ah? Captain Li, you sound like I'm going to hurt you!"

"This stretch of road is rarely traveled, so it's a little dangerous, but I've walked there more than once or twice, so I'm sure it'll be fine!"

"In previous years, I went into the mountains with my uncle. If we hunted anything in this area and came across an animal with good fur, we would skin it and head straight to Yi County to sell it." Xu Jizu patted his chest to vouch for himself.

"Are you sure you took this road to Yi County?" Li Huchen continued to ask for confirmation.

"Oh, that's right. My sister just got married and moved to Yi County this year. I am very familiar with Yi County!" Xu Jizu replied.

"What? This is the way to pick up the new bride!" Li Huchen muttered again.

"Well, that's not the case. People still have to take the main road to get married. Only hunters in the mountains would take these small roads!" Xu Jizu was already a little impatient and replied reluctantly.

"Oh, okay, okay!"

"Ji Zu, what are the road conditions ahead? How long will it take to walk on this dangerous trail?"

"We should try to get out of this section as soon as possible. There is still a long way to go. When it gets dark, it will be even more difficult to march through the mountains!"

Xiao Jingchuan interrupted the two people's bickering, interjected and brought the matter back to the point.

"Oh, back to the general!"

"It will only take less than half an hour to get through this section!"

"When we get to the front, the road will be a little easier to walk on."

"I didn't expect that the army would be so slow in crossing the narrow road, so this delay has delayed the journey for a while."

"It would be good enough if we can reach Xiaoyugou tonight!" Xu Jizu had never marched with a team before, so it was normal for his calculation of the distance to be slightly off.

"Oh, that won't do. We still have to catch up on the progress!"

Everyone was not surprised, but Qiu Zhizhong at the side actually interrupted for the first time. In the past, he seldom spoke on military deployment.

After he finished speaking, several generals gathered together turned their eyes to him and were all stunned.

Xiao Jingchuan was pondering at the side and speaking slowly.

"Hey, Feiyu (Qiu Zhizhong) has his own concerns, there's no need for you to make such a fuss!"

"Let me tell you!"

"We have raised 800 soldiers to come to Yi County this time. We have brought so many people with us to escort three ministers to the south. This has been mentioned before."

"The second purpose is to attack Yi County."

“But why I did this was not made clear before.”

"In fact, just three days ago, Feiyu (Qiu Zhizhong) received news that a batch of money and grain would be transported from Baoding Prefecture on the fifth day of the first lunar month. Now that Li Zicheng has occupied the capital, these money and grain will be transported to the capital as rewards for the troops. I'm afraid the amount will not be small."

"According to the estimated walking distance, we will probably pass through Yi County around the seventh day of the first lunar month! We are not sure which way we will take to enter the city, but we will definitely stay in Yi County."

"I don't think there will be too many bandits guarding Yi County! We brought these people with us this time, so it's no problem to defeat them!"

"By the way, cut off this money!"

"Pack everything up and take it back to Jiulong Town!"

After Xiao Jingchuan finished speaking, all the generals stood there in shock and excitement.

Li Huchen took a fierce bite of the pancake in his hand.

"Mr. Qiu, is this information reliable?" Li Huchen said in a daze while chewing his food.

"Haha, if it's news, it could be true or false. I can't be completely sure. Probably, 70% accurate!"

Qiu Zhizhong spoke softly and replied with a smile.

"Well, the source of the information and the authenticity of the information are Qiu Zhizhong's business. You and I only need to consider how to use troops to intercept the money and food!"

Having said this, Xiao Jingchuan took a last bite of the bread, put the food away, and suddenly stood up.

"The march is the most important thing right now, so let's put the matter of Yi County aside for now."

"All generals, listen to my orders!" Xiao Lang said seriously.

"Yes! Yes!" Several generals also stood up and bowed, waiting for orders.

"Xu Jizu, Sun Peizhong, order the front troops to speed up and move forward. We will not rest tonight!"

“Heigou-Xiusigou-Yixian!”

"We must hurry to the forest west of Yi County to set up camp tonight!"

"Hurry! We've rested enough, let's get going now!"

“Yes! Yes!”

Less than a quarter of an hour after resting, the entire army set off again. All the soldiers accelerated their forced march and headed straight for Yi County.

That night, Xiao Jingchuan's troops rested for half an hour after arriving at Xiaoyugou, but did not stay long. The entire army set out again at night.

The moonlight in the mountains was cold at night, and soldiers were not allowed to use torches when marching through the forests. As a result, many soldiers inevitably tripped, fell, and fell behind. This happened frequently among the generals' troops.

Xiao Lang issued a strict order that the entire army must not stop here and must head straight to the designated assembly point in the mountains west of Yi County. Those who were injured and fell behind on the way should be given plenty of food and told to catch up with the front team later!

(End of this chapter)