Astral Apostle

   Chapter 191 Avoiding War and Friends

   In this expedition, Peng Jin was eager to make contributions, and directly brought 2,000 tiger-headed bandit soldiers to make a big presence, while Zhou Jing's side was still the original 200 Hongyun Mountain robbers.

  More than 2,000 people stopped and went. On the way, Peng Jin talked about the situation of Huangdang Mountain by the way.

"Then Huangdang Mountain has five leaders, namely, the village owner 'Xiao Wenqu' Xu Gui, 'the bull-shattering hand' Yu Zhen, 'Four-handed Arhat' Tang Guang, 'Qianli Er' Qiu Yong, and 'Ma Prime Minister' Wang There are highs and lows in martial arts, but no one is the opponent of Brother Hong. It's just that although the master of the village, Xu Gui, is not very skilled, he has some strategies and manages Huangdangshan very prosperously."

  Peng Jin's tone was a little jealous.

   Zhou Jing was curious: "What is the prosperous method?"

Peng Jin explained: "Then there are three villages near Huangdang Mountain, all of which are fornicating with the cottage. They are their eyeliners and guard a few necessary roads. Whenever there is trouble, those villagers will go up the mountain to report the news, and outsiders only need to approach. , it will surely disturb Huang Dangshan. In addition, their fortifications are quite perfect, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they don’t know where to buy a lot of weapons and equipment, which is very difficult to deal with.”

  Hong Dingxian also interjected, and said in a deep voice:

"In terms of martial arts, we naturally have the upper hand, but the leaders of Huangdang Mountain rarely fight with us. , we lost more and won less, and suffered losses many times, so we forged a beam."

  ...It sounds like the owner of this Huangdang cottage has an idea, and the development is really good.

   Zhou Jing blinked: "What is the origin of this Xu Gui?"

   "This man is a scholar, but he has failed many times. For some reason, he has been living in the wild. It has been many years." Peng Jin replied.

Guo Haishen also said at the right time: "I have also visited Huangdang Mountain. The chiefs on the mountain are proficient in some side-door skills, but the martial arts are very common, so I am not very interested. However, I have some impressions of Xu Gui, the village owner. Du, holding a book and reading all day, not like a man in the green forest, but like a scholar."

   Hearing this, Zhou Jing pondered in his heart.

   The style of Huangdang Mountain is very different from that of Hutoushan. The chiefs have ordinary skills, and most of them are unique brothers in other fields, so they do not rely on personal martial arts like Hutoushan to show their might and courage.

  I'm afraid it's not that easy to lead them out to compete with the generals...

   Zhou Jing thought to himself.

  …

  The team trekked all the way, and it didn’t take long before they reached the boundary of Huangdang Mountain, and they did not deliberately avoid the villages at the foot of the mountain.

   First, because the village is located on the main road into the mountain, it is difficult to avoid it. Second, even in the path of the mountain forest, there are wandering sentries of Huangdang Mountain.

  The troops of more than 2,000 people wanted to sneak up on the site operated by the other side, but it was difficult to achieve. Besides, this time it was a big invitation to fight, so they did not avoid people. Everyone went directly to the road of the mountain and went up the mountain at the fastest speed.

   After a while, the Huangdang Mountain Village came into view.

  It is surrounded by dense forests and the terrain is dangerous.

  The main village is located on an extended cliff and is accessed by hanging baskets. There is a Fenzhai below the cliff. As a gateway to the pass, the fortifications are more complete than Hutou Mountain. There are arrow towers on both sides of the Fenzhai Gate, and there are spiked trenches and wooden fences in front of the gate. Through the crenels on the wall, you can see that many thieves are patrolling or standing guard, and they are well prepared.

  Being afraid to compare everything, Fang Zhen originally thought that Hutou Shanzhai was already quite easy to defend and difficult to attack, but when he saw Huangdang Mountain, he knew what a dangerous place was.

   In contrast, the stockade in Hutoushan is simply undefended, just like the difference between a professional and an amateur.

   "How can you attack such a dangerous terrain?"

   Fang was really surprised.

   Guo Haishen pondered and analyzed:

"If you want to win this village, you must divide your troops into two groups. One team will attack the main village from the other side of the mountain road, which must be guarded by heavy troops, and the other team will break through this sub-cliff. The men and horses of the main village and the branch villages can transfer to each other with hanging baskets at any time, and they can fight or retreat.”

   Everyone nodded, all agreeing

Zhou Jing touched his chin and said, "This stockade is really safe, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but I'm afraid of encountering a landslide... You see, if the cliff above the main village collapses, you can directly bury the lower village. ."

   Hearing the words, everyone's expressions were subtle.

   One thing to say, it seems to be the case...

   But even if there is this weakness, it must be done by the gods. The cliff is thick and rocky, and it doesn't look like it will easily landslide.

   Zhou Jing shook his head, threw the idea aside, and went back to the main topic: "Our trip is not to attack the cottage, but to call for an invitation to fight and lead them out."

  Peng Jin nodded quickly, looked at Huang Dangshan, and then felt a little puzzled:

   "Strange, we walked all the way without covering up. There must have been Huang Dangshan's eyeliner to tip off the news. Why was no one blocking us on the road? In the past, when we encountered us, most of them would come out to fight, but this time they closed the door and couldn't come out?"

   Just as the group was muttering, a middle-aged scholar in a blue robe suddenly appeared at the crenel of the fortified wall at the foot of the cliff.

   This blue-robed scholar with a short beard under his jaw and a clean appearance is Xu Gui, the owner of the Huangdang cottage.

  Xu Gui looked at the more than 2,000 people here from a distance, and said aloud:

   "The leaders of Hutoushan Mountain, what are you doing here in the realm of Huangdang Mountain?"

   Hearing the words, Peng Jin calmed down and stepped out of the crowd, shouting loudly:

   "The two of you and I have never been on good terms. Today, I led the crowd to the door, just to settle the grievances and grievances of the past, and beat up Huang Dangshan!"

  When we were on the road, everyone discussed it. This time, Hutoushan, the old opponent, came out and called the battle as usual.

   Zhou Jing and the others did not appear for the time being, they hid in the team, waited until they were led out, and then rushed to catch the leader.

   Xu Gui didn't get angry when he heard the words, he stroked his beard and smiled and joked: "Why is Pengzhai Master so elegant today? Could it be that he greedy for two more cups?"

   "Stop getting close to me, come out and fight, let's have a fight!"

  Peng Jin pointed his sword at him, shouting and inviting battle.

   Xu Gui didn't change his face, and said calmly, "I'm not feeling well today, and I don't have the heart to play with you, and my Shanzhai brother's life is precious, how can I be free to fight bravely with you?"

   At this moment, Shi Dong suddenly had a flash of inspiration and deliberately shouted:

   "Don't you Huangdangshan dare not take up the fight? Hmph, a bunch of cowardly rats, I think you shouldn't call Huangdangshan, it's better to call it... Yandangshan!"

  He remembered how he was planted in Fang Zhen's hands, so he learned something.

   However, Xu Gui was unmoved and said with a smile:

   "I haven't seen you for a long time, and the stone collar will also use his brain, but it's just a little tricky, only stupid people who are heartless will be recruited, right?"

   "Who are you saying is heartless!" Shi Dong blushed and immediately became angry.

   Fang Zhen's mouth twitched when he heard it, and he quietly kicked Shi Dong in the back, telling him to shut up quickly and stop embarrassing.

   Xu Gui glanced at the crowd and said slowly:

   "Master Pengzhai, I have no interest in competing with you recently. If you want to fight, come and try to attack my cottage. Otherwise, go back to where you came from."

   After he finished speaking, he dropped the crenel directly, stopped talking to everyone, and rode the hanging basket back to the main village on the cliff.

  Peng Jin was a little dumbfounded.

   The family didn't even engage in the battle, and he suddenly stopped singing.

   Huang Dangshan was heavily guarded, and there were archers standing guard. His two thousand men could not attack head-on, so they could only stare in situ.

   "The surnamed Xu is really a coward, what should I do now?" Shi Dong scratched his head.

   "What's the hurry, let me think about it."

  Peng Jin's face was a little overwhelmed, and he racked his brains to think.

   However, after thinking about it for dozens of breaths, he didn't even hold back a fart.

   Zhou Jing rolled his eyes and said, "Don't bother, I'll find a way."

   "Brother, what's the plan?"

   Peng Jin breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly asked.

   Zhou Jing looked at the situation of Huangdang Mountain, and when he looked at the sky again, his eyes flickered, and he thought about it.

"This Huangdangshan is unwilling to fight, we can't wait here... In this way, you will camp here and confront each other, yelling every once in a while, and shut up at night to give them a chance to rest. At that time, I will quietly climb the mountain and sneak into their stockade. , attacked from within, directly took their leaders, forced them to surrender, and this happened."

   After closing the door, things have to be done. If you fail to lure your opponent out of the village, you can only use some extraordinary means.

  Because there are two stockades in Huangdang Mountain, and I have no skills to do it myself, I can break the door again by myself, and the effect is not so big. Moreover, Huangdang Mountain's defense level is far higher than that of Hutou Mountain. I don't know how to get the bows and arrows, and arrange many archers to stand guard on the pass and the arrow tower. If I want to break the door, I have to withstand a big wave of arrows, and there is a certain chance of being injured.

  It is possible to push hard, but the risk is not small, so Zhou Jing thought about it and felt that it would be better to use a more flexible method this time.

   Although the terrain of Huangdang Mountain is dangerous, you can easily climb it with your own skills. As long as you avoid the sight of the sentry by taking advantage of the night, it is not a problem to sneak into the stockade.

  Guo Haishen was a little worried: "Second brother goes alone, I'm afraid of making a mistake, I'll accompany you for a walk."

   Zhou Jing shook his head: "No need, it's better for me to act alone. If I want to leave, they won't be able to keep me. My elder brother is also excellent in martial arts, so I'll sit here just in case."

   Hearing this, Guo Haishen had to agree.

  The people had seen Zhou Jing's bravery, and they did not object to this plan. They immediately followed Zhou Jing's instructions, greeted the minions to camp on the spot, and shouted and cursed at Huangdang Mountain.

  …

   At the same time, Xu Gui returned to the main village and was discussing with the leaders of Huangdang Mountain in the hall.

"Zhaizhu, that Hutoushan is our defeated general, and now he dares to shout down below, it's really hateful, why don't you let me wait to go out to fight and give them a head-on attack? Right now we can't stay behind closed doors, it seems that we are afraid, plain white. Raise their prestige!"

   Another leader, Yu Zhen, complained loudly.

   Xu Gui's eyes flickered, and he said slowly:

"Hutou Mountain went up to the mountain to invite battle without any warning, there must be something wrong. I saw that Peng Jin seemed to want to lead us to the battle, although I didn't know the reason, but he couldn't follow his intention. , with static braking."

   All the leaders nodded and accepted the explanation.

  Although Xu Gui has almost no martial arts skills and is the worst among the leaders, he has risen with Huangdang Mountain over the years, and the leaders have long believed in him.

   Xu Gui stroked his beard and pondered:

"Peng Jin dares to block my cottage with 2,000 people. He must be reliant on it, but he doesn't know what it is. But he is so supportive and gives me a chance. If I can annex Hutoushan Mountain, I, Huangdang Mountain, will be the leader of the Luhe family from now on!”

   The eyes of the leaders lit up, and after eating this tempting pie, they immediately became excited.

   "What is the strategy of the village owner?" Someone asked.

  Xu Gui thought for a while, then the corner of his mouth twitched, and he said with a light smile:

"Let's take a look at Peng Jin's movements first. If he camps outside and doesn't leave, then we will split our troops into two night raids tonight. One team will go to Xiazhai to lead the troops and attack from the front, while the other team will come out through the secret road. Zhai, flank the opponent's back, attack from front and back, and you will definitely be able to take down Peng Jin and his group!"

   He knew the way of the three caves of the cunning rabbit. Not only did he build the Huangdang Mountain Village on the terrain of these heights, but also ordered people to dig several secret passages to connect the outside world, so that outsiders would not know about it.

   Just as everyone was discussing, the person sitting at the bottom suddenly said:

   "Wait a minute, Zhaizhu, can you listen to me?"

   Huang Dangshan originally had five leaders, but at this moment there were six people sitting in the hall, and the one who spoke was the extra one.

   Xu Gui heard the words, looked at this person, and said with a smile:

   "Brother Deng Zhi will speak up if he has something to say, and speak freely."

This sixth person is Deng Zhi, who used to be the commander of the Ma Jun in Anlin Mansion. Now he has become the sixth head of Huangdang Mountain. He has only fallen for the past few days. Know.

   He has lost a lot of weight now and has tattoos on his face.

Deng Zhi pressed on the armrest of the seat and said solemnly: "Just now, when I looked down from the cottage, I saw that Chen Feng was hiding in the formation. You have only heard of his name, but you don't know him. He has fought, and he will never forget his appearance, and he will never admit his mistake!"

   "You mean urging Yama?!"

   Xu Gui and the leaders were stunned for a moment, but they did not expect such a discovery.

Deng Zhi nodded: "Then after Chen Feng made a riot in Anlin Mansion, he disappeared, but now he is mixed up with Hutou Mountain, it is very likely that he fell grass there and became a bandit... The village owner just judged that Hutou Mountain was relied upon. , in my opinion, it must be this Chen Feng!"

   Another leader was puzzled: "I've heard of this urging Yama's martial arts skills, but he is only one person, can he be Hutoushan's reliance?"

   "Don't underestimate this person!"

  Deng Zhi immediately shouted, a look of fear flashed in his eyes.

   Seeing that everyone was stunned by a roar, Deng Zhi calmed down slightly and said solemnly:

"You don't know what this person is capable of, but I have seen it with my own eyes. That Chen Feng has the courage of a thousand husbands, and he has a fierce aura like a devil descending to the world! If he is rushed by him without knowing it, most of the children will have high morale. Fall, collapse in an instant! That Hutoushan deliberately called out the formation to invite battle, it should be the idea of ​​​​playing!"

   "Does Brother Deng have a way to control the enemy?"

   Xu Gui frowned and asked worriedly.

  Deng Zhi took a deep breath, looked resentful, gritted his teeth and said:

"This Chen Feng has caused me to lose my official position. I hate him to the core. I have been thinking about how to deal with him for several months. Trap him in the formation, squeeze and kill him! Or dig a crypt, lure him deeper, and when he falls into a trap, shoot him with arrows!"

   Xu Gui pondered for a while, but shook his head:

   "This Chen Fengruo is so amazing, but I have a love for talent. It's better to keep this guy alive and invite him up the mountain to gather righteousness, so that I can get this great general in Huang Dangshan."

   "The village owner thinks twice! If you have reservations, I'm afraid the ship will capsize in the sewer!"

  Deng Zhi was in a hurry and quickly persuaded him.

Xu Gui waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I will deal with it carefully. If it's really impossible, I can only kill you... By the way, Brother Deng used to be the commander of officers and soldiers, and he is proficient in the method of marching and fighting. How about this errand that Chen Feng and you had a quarrel with, Brother Deng led the Erlangs to do this errand?"

  Deng Zhi's expression froze, and a war between heaven and man suddenly occurred in his heart.

   The encounter in Anlin Mansion made him so frightened that he was so frightened that he had a deep fear in his heart, and subconsciously did not dare to deal with Zhou Jing.

   But now there are thousands of soldiers and horses in hand, and the number of people is overwhelming, which makes Deng Zhi gain a little confidence.

   He struggled for a while, then simply gritted his teeth, got up and handed over, and said decisively:

"That day, he ordered Yama to make a riot in the Anlin mansion and cut off the prefect's arm. I was also implicated. I was sentenced by the government to be ineffective in guarding and escaping from the battle. Jie. Up to now, I have yet to achieve an inch, and I am willing to be the vanguard in this battle!"

   Xu Gui smiled and nodded with satisfaction:

   "If you can defeat Hutoushan soldiers and horses in this battle, and capture Chen Feng alive, you will be remembered as the first merit of Brother Deng!"

   (end of this chapter)