Xie Ming

Chapter 92 Variables
The secret sentry got back, and Xiao Lang and Qiu Zhizhong stopped and waited at the original place.

When the man approached, he reported that the team responsible for escorting the money from Baoding Prefecture had not arrived yet, and he learned that there were no more than 200 troops stationed in Yi County.

Xiao Jingchuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fei Yu (Qiu Zhizhong), it seems that we have overestimated the bandits' marching speed!"

"Let's go back first." Xiao Langyan.

"Well, okay!"

"Hey, you don't have to go back. Tell the people who have scattered into the city to be alert. If there is any news about the team escorting the money, come back and report it immediately!" Qiu Zhizhong ordered.

"Yes!" The secret sentry clasped his fists and turned back to the direction of Yi County.

After seeing the person leave, Xiao Lang also patted Qiu Zhizhong on the shoulder.

"Okay, go back and tell Ma Minglu to get up and help you keep an eye on the news. You've been traveling for most of the night without a break, and you've arranged all these things carefully. You should go back and get some sleep. Go back to your tent and get enough rest. You'll be busy later today!"

As they talked, the two men and a dozen soldiers behind them returned to the camp.

After returning to the camp, Qiu Zhizhong, Xiao Jingchuan and other generals went back to their tents to take a nap.

It was not until 15:30 in the afternoon (:) that the secret sentries that had dispersed in Yi County finally managed to return to report the news.

"General! General!"

"He's back, someone is finally back!" Ma Minglu saw the person who sent the message from a distance, and quickly ran to Xiao Lang to inform him.

Xiao Jingchuan and all the soldiers under his command had fully woken up by noon.

At the moment, all the generals and Qiu Zhizhong were gathered together with Xiao Lang, chatting about something.

After hearing Ma Minglu's report, Xiao Jingchuan raised his eyebrows, and all the generals looked happy.

Soon, the secret sentry arrived at the camping site.

"Report——"

"Reporting to the general, Master Qiu!"

"Here they come! The team escorting the money from Baoding Prefecture has finally arrived!" the secret sentry reported. Because Qiu Zhizhong did not have an official position for the time being, the people below him still called him Master Qiu in front of others.

"Hahaha, look at them, this whole way, maybe they crawled here, otherwise why would they be so slow!"

"If we had known how slowly these bandits marched, we wouldn't have had to travel at night in vain and suffered so much!"

Xiao Lang laughed sarcastically, and the generals echoed him.

"Yeah, damn it, my pants were almost worn out!"

As Li Huchen continued his words, everyone burst into laughter again.

But Qiu Zhizhong, who was watching carefully, noticed that the look on the sentry's face had changed, as if he had something unspeakable in his mind. He was afraid that things might not be going so smoothly, so he hurriedly asked again.

"What's wrong with you? But I still have something to say!"

"Hurry up, tell me everything you see and know!" Qiu Zhizhong asked seriously.

"Ah, yes!"

"General, Master Qiu!"

"Also, there is another piece of news that is not very favorable to us."

"The team escorting the money has too many people. If we count them, there are more than 500 of them!"

"Two hundred light cavalry and three hundred infantry."

"Now they are marching into the city from the east gate in a grand manner!"

After he finished speaking, Xiao Jingchuan and others were all stunned when they heard this.

Everyone was speechless!

There are too many soldiers. If the city defense is reliable, the defenders will have the advantage of geographical location. Direct attack on the city has always been a bad strategy since ancient times. If the troops are not several times larger than the enemy, they will surely be defeated if they fight reluctantly!

At present, Xiao Jingchuan's army was focused on traveling light and fast, and they wanted mobility, so it was inconvenient to take siege equipment, and the only two tiger squat cannons seized from Ma Dabangzi Stronghold a few days ago were not brought. Besides, even if they were brought, they would be of little use, and it would be difficult to pry open the city defenses without enough firepower.

Then I heard that the team escorting the money had 500 people, plus there were 200 soldiers guarding the city, it seemed that the situation was going to be bad!

After a while, Xiao Jingchuan pondered for a long time and sighed. Seeing that no one else spoke, he spoke himself.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Why are you all so sad?!"

"If everything goes smoothly and everything is easy to handle, it won't be our turn to show off our prowess, right?"

"Alright, alright, open your mouths!"

Xiao Langqiang cheered up everyone.

"Although the number of enemy troops escorting the money this time far exceeds our previous expectations, it does not mean that there is no solution at all!"

Hearing this, the generals raised their eyebrows and listened carefully.

"In fact, Feiyu (Qiu Zhizhong) and I have already made various predictions along the way, and the worst result is just this."

"At that time, I thought we were going to escort the money. Now the whole area north of the Yellow River and Huai River has been taken over by bandits, so they shouldn't be so defensive. I thought a hundred or so people would be enough to prevent bandits from robbing us along the way."

"I didn't expect them to be so cautious."

"It seems that the original plan of taking the enemy by surprise, seizing the west gate, breaking in, and then running away with the silver and food is not going to work!"

"But it's not to say that there is no chance at all now."

"Where is Xu Jizu?!" Xiao Lang asked.

"Here! General, I'm here!" Ji Zu hurriedly stepped forward to receive the order.

Xiao Jingchuan only mentioned it and did not rush to give orders, so he waved his hand and asked him to sit down again.

"This Jizu, my sister married to Yi County before the New Year. The groom is a scholar and works at the government office as a clerk."

"Now that the enemy has more soldiers and a strong fortress, we can't attack them head-on. So we should change our strategy and seize their wealth with our wits!"

"Wait a minute, Changting, Feiyu (Qiu Zhizhong), Jizu and the others, follow me. We will also bring the hundred or so militiamen from Jizu's team."

"These people are originally from nearby villages. They can disguise themselves and gradually enter the city. It won't be difficult for them to blend in."

"When the time comes, we will quietly enter the city and gather at Jizu's brother-in-law's house, and by the way, ask him about the real situation in the city."

"Although there are scouts in the city, they are unlikely to be of much use in getting such detailed information."

"It would be best if we could ask the clerk's brother-in-law to help us find out where the Yi County city guard and the leader of the money escort team are staying overnight!"

"Then, when night falls, we will kidnap the two leaders of these bandits!"

"Hey, catch the leader first!"

"Open the west gate and welcome your team outside to charge in. We will cooperate with you from inside and outside!"

"I think with these two guys in hand, even if the enemy has more soldiers, they will be timid and it is not impossible for them to surrender directly."

"In this way, we can successfully intercept the money!"

Having said this, the eyes of the generals gathered in front of Xiao Jingchuan lit up again, hope rekindled in their hearts, and the fighting spirit returned instantly.

"But, but General, this always sounds so suspenseful to me!"

"This, this method will work!"

On Xiao Lang's left, Sun Peizhong, who had been listening silently, was cautious and pragmatic by nature. Although he thought Xiao Jingchuan's plan was worth a try, he always felt that there were too many variables and it might be difficult to really take shape. It was no wonder that he had such concerns.

Hearing Peizhong's words, Xiao Jingchuan was also startled, then he grinned and said.

"Pei Zhong, Pei Zhong, how can you be so honest!"

(End of this chapter)