Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 310 4.106 The county magistrate unfortunately died
Volume Four

4.106 The county magistrate died unfortunately
In the following time, Zhou Yang did not ask about external issues. He only occasionally dispatched some troops to assist in destroying the remaining White Lotus sect rebels based on the official documents of Daye County Government. Most of his energy was focused on military training until the third day. The progress was interrupted by a piece of information on the 26th of the month.

"Is the news reliable?" Zhou Yang read the materials in his hand three times before slowly putting them down. He looked at Zhao Qiying with a serious expression and said, "As the incense master of Daye White Lotus Sect, Sun Xin's whereabouts these days have always been secretive. Otherwise, where would he be? If you still can’t catch me, how could you expose your residence so easily?”

"There is no problem with the news, our people got it from the county government." Zhao Qiying's answer made Zhou Yang's face change slightly, "A Bailian disciple who followed Sun Xin closely was sent out to buy food and other daily necessities, but in the restaurant I had a conflict with someone while drinking, and was held down by a passing police officer. No one took it seriously at first, but I didn't want this person to commit suicide."

"Hiding in Tibet all day long made him mentally broken, and the conflict in the restaurant was nothing more than a way of venting, so as soon as he was caught by the yamen, he broke his can and chose to rebel." Zhou Yang frowned and arrested him. Sun Xin's merit is not a small one, and he can't just watch He Cheng gain. "Where is the county government now?"

"When the news came, we had just assembled the manpower." Zhao Qiying said immediately, "He Cheng was determined to do something big this time. The more than 50 people he selected were all the best among the government officials and police officers, and they also made a promise on the spot. The reward is, as long as we can catch Sun Xin this time, each person will receive five taels in cash, and those who caught him directly will receive 20 taels each!"

"Just say arrest Sun Xin?" Zhou Yang didn't believe it.

"He's not that stupid." Zhao Qiying gave him a look and said, "When I promised a reward, I only said that I was going to catch a gangster and a prisoner of the imperial court, but I didn't say it in public; our news came from a jailer in the county government cell, so He was at the scene when the traitor confessed; by now, He Cheng should have already personally led the group to set off!"

"Where is Sun Xin?" Zhao Yanling, who had been impatient for a long time, asked hurriedly.

"There is an abandoned mine on Tieshan Mountain. I have arranged manpower on the way into the mountain. As long as He Cheng leads people through, he will be able to see the direction of travel. When we pass by, we only need to follow the news. "Zhao Qiying said softly, "Brother Zhou, we can't watch He Chengli make such a contribution."

"Don't worry." Zhou Yang sneered, "Abandoned mine? It's such a good place. Since Sun Xinneng is so knowledgeable, I'll give him a good time. Didn't you just say that He Cheng personally led the team there? Is that right? Just take the opportunity to solve it at once, let him take the lead, and we will arrive soon!

Send someone to inform Baihu of the Cavalry - Forget it, Qiying, you will be responsible for leading the cavalry personally from now on. The terrain in the mountains is complicated and the cavalry cannot use it. This time, we will just borrow the speed of the fast horses; a Baihu of Cavalry will be fully equipped. The strength of the sabers and matchlocks is completely sufficient. Yan Ling, just watch your home. "

"Oh!" Zhao Yanling curled her lips in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything.

"Stupid girl, why don't you think about making progress? You just hold that sword every day. You don't understand the cavalry. You don't ask about firearms. You are only curious about the infantry and artillery. You only have three days of enthusiasm." Zhou Yang pinched it angrily. The girl Qiong twisted her nose, "Okay, next time I have a chance, I will definitely take you to the head office, right?"

"Hmph!" Zhao Yanling punched someone a few times in dissatisfaction, but still let him embrace her and kiss him softly, "I don't have the guts to believe someone's thick skin. I don't know which two were shameless last time. He dared to do such shameful things in the back tent of the Chinese army in broad daylight, and refused to admit his guilt even after being blocked by the quilt. It’s a pity for such a weak woman, and she was dragged by force - oh!"

"You damn hooves, I'll beat you to death!" Before she could finish her words, Zhao Nuxia, one of the "two shameless people" just now, couldn't help but feel ashamed. She rushed over to tell her sister that she was beaten with a hammer and she was "miserably beaten". He screamed and ran out of the big tent. When he saw a certain cheeky man still smiling, he turned his anger away and said, "It's all you who made me lose face in front of Yan Ling!"

"Okay, okay, it's my fault!" Zhou Yang quickly hugged the girl and let him hit her again. Maybe he would make him vomit blood. "There are still things to do now. Even if you sentence me to beheading, that's not the case." Do we have to wait until the autumn to ask about it?"

All joking aside, he still took Zhao Qiying with him, and together they summoned hundreds of cavalrymen, and nearly a hundred people roared out of the camp gate. About two sticks of incense preceded them, fifty or sixty government officials had already arrived at the county government office. The horse went out and headed straight for Tieshan. Along the way, it knocked over many stalls and bumped into some unlucky guy, but no one had the courage to say anything.

The cavalrymen did not rush forward with all their strength, but marched at the steady speed of a long-distance raid. They even stopped twice to repair, just to give the county government enough time to fight against Sun Xin and the remaining Bailian. The elite troops took over the fire; fortunately, there were spies arranged by Zhao Qiying in advance along the way to report He Cheng's movements at any time, so he would not be lost.

"Brother Zhou, look!" After more than half an hour, before Zhou Yang could lead people into the mountain, he saw a thick column of smoke rising straight into the sky on a mountainside not far away, and there were faint shadows of people moving. , "He Cheng should have led people to block the mine, and then set fire to smoke, trying to force Sun Xin and others out!" "It saved us a lot of trouble." Zhou Yang sneered and looked back He waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone dismounts. The seventh and eighth flags stay behind to keep an eye on the horses and cover the retreat. The rest of the personnel follow the command of the matchlock gunners and load according to the order. Don't forget to bring the saber!"

After some reverberation, the team of six small flags was quickly completed. Zhou Yang didn't waste any more nonsense. He nodded to Zhao Qiying and led the people to set off. As the saying goes, "Looking at the mountain and running to death", although the cave can be seen from the mountain pass. After reaching the general direction, it took everyone more than a stick of incense to reach a position less than fifty steps away.

"Brother Zhou, look!" Zhao Qiying said calmly, looking at a group of people from the county government who were still adding wet wood to the fire, "There are corpses at the door. It seems that they were all shot when they tried to rush out; There were obvious fights in the surrounding area. It should be that Sun Xin neglected to take precautions and was directly blocked here. After the fight, he was defeated and retreated into the cave."

"I didn't see any traces of overt or secret sentry along the way." Zhou Yang nodded, "It seems that the two parties in front are laymen, and they don't understand the art of war except for group fights; in this case, we can't let them down." Good intentions'—everyone, load your matchlocks immediately, light your matches, and fire on command, go ahead!"

More than 60 people had no intention of hiding, and quickly rushed towards He Cheng along the mountain road. However, they were discovered when they were less than twenty steps away and could hear their conversation faintly. The policeman was stunned for a moment, but was not in time. Open your mouth to stop.

"Who!" He Cheng, who finally discovered the problem, shouted hastily when the officers and soldiers of the Qianhu Office were only a dozen steps away.

"Let He Cheng go, and don't spare anyone else!" Zhou Yang, however, had no intention of talking nonsense with the other party. He waved his hand and ordered his men to fire!
bang bang bang-

There was no talk about three-stage shooting. Sixty matchlock guns fired in a neat row. At a distance of more than ten steps and a little over 20 meters, even the accuracy of the smoothbore matchlock gun was still frightening. Most of the more than 30 government officials who came down were shaken violently, screamed and knocked to the ground. They became motionless in a short time.

"Zhou Qianhu" He Cheng, who happened to be standing at the front just now, miraculously dodged the salvo, but there were only two or three big and small kittens left around him. At this time, he naturally wouldn't have much luck, "You As an officer of the imperial court, how dare you act like this? I am an officer of the imperial court."

"Master He, at this time, do you think you are still alive?" Zhou Yang interrupted him lightly, glanced at the cave and said coldly, "What a pity, my lord, in order to wipe out the White Lotus bandits, he would not hesitate to do so. I came to the front line personally, but I didn't expect the thieves to be ferocious, and they counterattacked in despair. The county magistrate was unfortunately killed. What a pity, what a pity!"

"Zhou Qianhu, all the corpses here were killed by firearms." Just as the two were arguing, a slightly weak male voice came from the cave, and a tall man with an injured shoulder was seen walking. He walked out, took a glance and said, "The whole Daye County knows that Zhou Qianhu is good at using firearms, but I don't know how you plan to end it?"

"What kind of corpses, aren't they all buried in the mines?" Zhou Yang smiled coldly, not intending to hide it from the dead, "But Master Sun Xin and Sun Xiang? It's the first time we met. Unfortunately, at this time, Zhou could only say Say 'Have a good trip'!"

"Sir, you are so scheming!" Sun Xin sighed softly, looked at He Cheng, who was paralyzed on the ground with fear, and said, "It's not so lonely to have a county magistrate to talk to on Huangquan Road - farewell!"

After a burst of messy gunfire, there were several more corpses on the ground. Zhou Yang then waved to the people below to throw all the corpses into the mine. At the same time, he pushed forward with the muzzle of the gun, and threw out the remaining ten white lotus in the cave. I taught him to clean up the remnants, and after half a stick of incense, he finally cleaned up the mess.

"Brother Zhou, this Sun Xin can be considered a man, which is a pity!" Zhao Qi said in a complicated tone, "He has always had a good reputation here and is very popular with his subordinates."

"Then he has to die." Zhou Yang did not feel guilty. He asked the soldiers to throw a two kilogram charge bag into the cave, and lit the fuse with his own hands, "Withdraw!"

"Boom--" There was an explosion, and the entire cave entrance, which was not very broad, collapsed, completely covering up all traces inside the cave.

(End of this chapter)