Chapter 2156 Gui Zi Juan goes deep into the tiger's den and is about to break out
Duan Xipeng and his party went even faster after bypassing Dong Ze.
When he learned that more than tens of thousands of rebels had gathered outside Wenxi County, Duan Xipeng decisively ordered to cross Sushui in advance, avoiding the Wenxi County section as much as possible and rushing south.
However, since it is not a post road, it is no problem for horses and pedestrians, but it is much more troublesome for carriages.
This is the difficulty of carrying women. They have to walk very slowly and cannot go very far, but the carriage needs to choose a route. Many times it has to take a detour. Soldiers are even required to help push the cart, and the wheels and shafts are also missing. Can't withstand long distance bumps.
"Xia County is ahead." Duan Xipeng looked like a hawk at the barely visible city five miles ahead. The scouts had not returned yet, so he did not dare to go any further.
Wenxi County has been surrounded, which shows how huge the rebel forces are. Not long after they captured the Yi family, they came straight to Wenxi. Although Xia County is south of Sushui and further away, it is not far away. It's very limited, only a few dozen miles. If a rebel army comes across the river and meets them head-on, it will be troublesome.
"Well, it seems that Xia County has not fallen yet. Do we want to enter the city?" The soldiers can bear the bumpy journey, but the female relatives are quite tired. Looking at the few who came down to rest earlier, although They all wore hoods to cover the curtains, but you could still feel that they were a little overwhelmed.
"You can't enter the city. I'm afraid you won't be able to leave after entering the city." Duan Xipeng sighed, "If you don't wait for Ma San and the others, go around quickly and go to Anyi. It's only about ten miles away. It's just a stretch." It’s over.”
“But ladies,...” Feng Jinchang hesitated.
"I can't care less." This is not the time to be merciful. If we really fall into the hands of the rebels, then the governor will not be able to pay the ticket. Duan Xipeng shook his head: "Let's go!"
The group of people was divided into several groups, the infantry marched around the carriage, while the cavalry was divided into several small groups, either left or right, in front or behind, maintaining a distance of dozens of steps, and further away, there were sporadic sentries. Be alert and observe all around.
Having just walked a few miles, Ma San and the others caught up with them.
"Sir, Xia County is still safe for the time being, but the city gate has been closed. You can't go in or out. There are no traces of the rebels around. We only met a few rebels until we reached the edge of Suishui. They are probably crossing the river to look for prey. , those who wanted to be the first to take action, people in Wenxi County were shouting that the rebels were very large. We observed across the river and estimated that there were at least five to six thousand people, divided into several groups, among which it was estimated that the cavalry There are about one or two hundred, not many in number, and they are dressed differently and not together. They should belong to different ministries and are not easy to gather together."
Ma San is very observant, "But Wenxi is only thirty miles away from here. If the rebels want to come, they can just cross the river. So we can't stop here. It's best to go around Anyi County in one go. Anyi County It’s too close.”
"Well, let's go then." Duan Xipeng waved his hand, "Hurry up and don't stop. Wuxianding is in front of us, and Anyi County is twenty miles away."
Bao Qin, who was dizzy in the carriage, managed to sit up straight with the support of Ling Guan. He endured the discomfort in his heart, sighed, and said with a smile: "This is Wu Xianding. It is said that Wu Xian is here." In the secluded place, it is said that Wu Xian pioneered the art of divination and was good at using yarrow to predict good and bad luck. I wonder if Wu Xian could do divination if he were here today. How about calculating the good and bad fortune of our trip?"
Speaking of Wu Xian, Miaoyu knew it. She glanced at Baoqin and sneered: "You still have the leisure to tell jokes. Don't you usually never believe in these stories about fate, ghosts and gods?"
Xue Baoqin ignored the other party and said to Xiuyan: "This is a rare experience in our lives. Even when we are old, we can brag about it. We have also experienced life and death. of."
"Sister, don't be pessimistic, it won't be like this." Xiuyan doesn't want Baoqin and Miaoyu to confront each other. The relationship between the two has always been delicate, and it all depends on her mediation. "I think Jiulang and the others are quite organized. This twist After passing Xia County, we will arrive at Anyi soon. As long as Anyi is not besieged by the rebels, we can reach Jiezhou safely."
"Sister, I think it's reasonable, but I also heard from Shiro that even passing through Anyi may not be safe. It depends on the size of the rebel army. There are very few guards along the way from Puzhou to Wenxi. They all rely on the strength of the people, but Because of the drought, the local public security is unstable, and there are many dissatisfied people among the people. If they are bribed by the rebels, they may not turn against each other..."
Baoqin shook his head and sighed. Faced with this situation, there was nothing he could do.
The group of people walked around Wuxianding, a terrain that is a mixture of valleys and hills. A dried up river stretched far away along the mouth of the valley. It could be seen that the water volume of this river was not small in the past few years, but now it is It has already dried up.
As soon as the speed increased, the carriage bumped violently, and several people could only hold each other tightly in the carriage. Fortunately, many soft cushions were prepared when walking, and they could still lean on each other, but this feeling Just as uncomfortable.
Duan Xipeng didn't have much to worry about. No trace of the enemy had been found yet, which only proved that the large-scale rebel army had not yet crossed the river, but it could not be ruled out that these small groups of wandering rebels had already penetrated.
But once you are entangled by these small groups of rebels, it will become a very dangerous thing. These rebels can call other rebels to swarm in at any time. Even if you want to eradicate the roots and avoid future troubles, you can't.
The only way is to stay away from this area as soon as possible to avoid being discovered and entangled by these rebels.
What Duan Xipeng didn't know was that less than a tea time after Ma San and the others left Xia County, a small group of rebels appeared at the gate of Xia County. Of course, Xia County closed its doors, and the people on the city walls stood ready. Still, these small groups of rebels were unable to succeed and could only look for prey in all directions.
As for the large movements of Duan Xipeng and his group, it was difficult to cover up the traces whether they were on the road or through the fields. They were quickly detected by these rebels. Like hyenas that smelled the scent of blood, they immediately followed the path. Start chasing after each other.
There can be dozens of horse teams and carriages. No matter how you look at it, this is definitely a big prey worthy of outflanking and surrounding.
Although they don't know exactly what role they play, many rebels are thinking that either a certain wealthy family wants to transfer the property hidden in their homes, or that a certain dignitary from Beijing who is visiting privately in disguise happens to be bumped into by him. , which naturally cannot be let go.
Duan Xipeng didn’t know this yet, but his intuition told him that danger was approaching, so he could only speed up his escape.
Bypassing the county seat of Xia County and turning to the southwest, the scouts have not yet reported back on the situation in Anyi, but Duan Xipeng still does not plan to enter Anyi City. The target there is too big. Once he enters the city, he will be easily blocked, just like Xia County. It's hard to leave inside.
Shenghui Town, which is only a few miles away from Anyi City, is a place to choose. Joining the rebel army has not yet penetrated this area, so it is okay to take a short break in Shenghui Town. He also knows a few The female family members are already a little overwhelmed.
In front of you, you can vaguely see the houses of Shenghui Town scattered along the road. There seems to be no one on the street. Firstly, the weather is hot, and secondly, the public security is not good. If the businessmen should close their doors and hide, they may have already done so. Of course, there are still some traders who want to make money by licking blood.
"That's the inspection department and tax card over there?" Feng Jinchang urged his horse forward, looking at the largest building on the other side of the road, the archway, the gate, and the wall. "It seems they are still open. Didn't they learn about the chaos?" The army has defeated the Yi clan, and even Wenxi and Xia counties are no longer safe, how can Anyi be spared?"
Before Feng Jinchang could finish his words, he heard a "Boom!" sound that penetrated his scalp, followed by a continuous "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" sound, and then the whole street rang with various sounds. A kind of random shouting.
“The thieves are coming, run!”
“Hide! A bandit is coming!”
Immediately afterwards, thick smoke rose into the sky. It was obvious that someone had set the house on fire, and shouts of death were also heard from different directions.
“It’s over!” Duan Xipeng’s heart sank.
He is also an old soldier, and he knew at a glance that the rebels had surrounded Shenghui Town, and they had done so beautifully. He was still wondering whether the tax card was still safe. It seemed that the rebels had planned it. , or in other words, just abandon other places and come straight here, just for the inspection department and tax card of Shenghui Town.
Feng Jinchang was also a little flustered. He didn't expect to encounter such a situation right now, "Evacuate?"
“It’s too late.” Duan Xipeng calmed down and looked around.
He realized that he had been a little negligent and only sent scouts to check the streets of Shenghui Town. The scouts found nothing suspicious. However, he did not expect that the rebel army came directly to encircle the whole Shenghui Town and abandoned it. Anyi County is heading straight for Shenghui Town. This group of rebels seems to be self-aware, but the more this happens, the more dangerous they become.
“What should we do?” Feng Jinchang was shocked, “rush over?!”
"Yes, we have to rush over!" Now that the rebel army has appeared in the Shenghui Town area, it can be said that there is no safe place in the entire Anyi County. It is already too late to retreat south. The only choice is to risk and rush forward. , go straight to Anyi County, or go to Siyancheng, Duan Xipeng made up his mind: "Go to Siyancheng!"
“Si Yancheng?” Feng Jinchang has not yet reacted.
"Only Si Yancheng has guards garrisoned. If the rebels are determined to attack Anyi City, Anyi City cannot be defended, but Si Yancheng may be able to defend it for a while."
Duan Xipeng was aware of this, but he had never thought about staying in Anyi at first. He just wanted to pass through as soon as possible, so he did not consider going to Siyancheng, but now he has no choice.
(End of this chapter)