Astral Apostle

   Chapter 198

  Lu River, Anju area.

   A team of officers and soldiers of the imperial court, numbering several thousand, was marching along the road, with spears and halberds like forests and tassel flags like clouds.

  Liu Tongzhi rode a warhorse and walked in front of the troops, turning his head to look at the troops walking by.

   "It's hard to lead the troops to go out, this time I must show my skills and make a military exploit..."

  Liu Tongzhi's eyes flickered.

  He was the ruler of Anzhou, Luhe, and was ordered by the prefect to bring thousands of soldiers and horses from Anzhou to join forces from other states to attack Hongyun Mountain to suppress the bandits.

   In the past few years, there have been few wars in the imperial court, only the border troops occasionally fight against aliens who are unable to fight, or the northern troops sometimes sway bandits to suppress bandits.

   When the emperor of the dynasty did not like military affairs, many places had not used knives for many years, and a large number of military attachés in the imperial court had nowhere to obtain military merit. Especially in the southern region like Luhe, there is no chance to fight. Soldiers rarely have drills. Many of them have turned into farmers, and they have long been dissatisfied. Most of them are empty wages, and silver flows into the pockets of generals at all levels.

  The prefect of Anzhou gave him 6,000 soldiers and horses, but in reality there were only 3,000 soldiers. This is the same situation in other states. Everyone makes money like this.

  Liu Tongzhi is well aware of it, but he will not point it out. After all, he is also a profitee who eats free wages.

  The officers and soldiers gathered in the four prefectures of Luhe River this time are called an army of 30,000, but in Liu Tongzhi's view, it is not bad to be able to break through 10,000.

   But he didn't care too much.

  ——It’s just to suppress bandits, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers are enough, and even he thinks it’s too much.

  Hongyun, Hutou, Huangdang three mountain bandits add up to 20,000 to 30,000, which sounds bluffing, but I am afraid that there are not necessarily more soldiers than their officers and soldiers.

   Besides, it is still unknown whether this thief will be wiped out...

   I heard that the emperor is going to go south for an autumn tour. The prefects of the Luhe prefectures may really want to suppress the bandits, but their military attachés also have their own thoughts.

  Liu Tongzhi intends to meet with other state commanders first. If the situation is good, it is necessary to raise bandits with self-respect. Otherwise, if the bandits are really killed, there will be no chance to send troops in the future.

  The courage to suppress bandits is not lacking, but they are even more courageous to collect money in the name of bandit suppression.

   However, they didn't dare to influence the emperor's autumn tour, so the fight had to be really fought, it had to be a victory, and at least they had to block this group of thieves on the mountain for several months.

   Just as Liu Tongzhi was thinking about it, a scout came back.

"Report! The frontier is the boundary of Huangxi County. The subordinates visited and found that something had happened here. The magistrate was assassinated to death yesterday. The murderer did not hide his name. , spread it among the people."

   Liu Tongzhi immediately stared at the words and said in surprise, "Chen Feng?!"

   It was the first time he heard the news.

   Among the four prefectures on the Lu River, Anzhou is the closest to Jiangchun, and the prefecture is next to Jiangchun.

   After committing the crime in Wenshui County, Zhou Jing did not hide, but committed the crime all the way as usual. Now he has committed crimes in three county towns, and the last crime was in Huangxi County.

   Coincidentally, Liu Tongzhi set off from the prefecture and missed the news. The direction of his march was just the opposite of Zhou Jing's, and he ran into this when he passed through this place.

   "Lord Ruling, please see, this is the evil document written by the thief Chen Feng..."

  The scout presented a rag.

  Liu Tongzhi hurriedly took it, looked down and found that the evil deeds of the magistrate of Huangxi County and others were written in charcoal on it, and finally there was Chen Feng's "Declaration to Seek Evil".

   "I vowed to kill all the corrupt officials and bullies in the world? Hmph, Huangkou child, I don't know how high the sky is!"

   Liu Tong snorted coldly, his face full of disgust.

   As the ruler of a state, he has never been reckless, but at this time, seeing Chen Feng boasting about Haikou is even more subconsciously disgusting.

   What about a mere peasant and a strong martial artist, how can you change the world?

   "This thief Chen Feng is wanted by the Luhe Prefectures. Not only does he hide his name incognito in Tibet, but he also dares to sway through the market and kill people everywhere, so he is crazy!"

   He thought that after Chen Feng left Hongyun Mountain, he would disappear temporarily, but he didn't expect to find this person's whereabouts here.

  Liu Tongzhi rolled his eyes and suddenly had an idea.

Although the goal of   's expedition was to attack Hongyun Mountain, Chen Feng's crime of killing an official was a repeat offense of the court. Even this expedition to suppress bandits was related to this person, and catching him was a great achievement.

  Although he still has to march, but since he found the trace of this man, how could he just sit back and watch the great achievement slip away.

  Liu Tongzhi was secretly a little excited, he just felt that he was lucky.

"This thief Chen Feng committed the crime yesterday and should not have gone far... Release all the scout teams and search the whereabouts of this person along the road. Once the thief is found, he will hold on to it and send someone to report. I will be stationed near Huangxi County for the time being. "

   Without hesitation, he made arrangements immediately.

  This trip is just a rendezvous. I don’t worry about delaying the military aircraft. It’s not a big problem to delay here for two or three days.

  If the whereabouts of Chen Feng cannot be found for a few days, this person is probably far away, and no matter how difficult it is to catch, it will not be too late to turn back and march. He naturally knows how to choose.

  …

the other side.

   Zhou Jing and his party passed by a tea shed in the countryside. Seeing the fierce sun, they took a break for a while.

   There were no other guests in the tea shop, everyone took their seats, ordered tea soup, and chatted casually.

   "I've been following my brother around for the past few days, I'm really happy, I just feel like I was living in vain before."

  Hong Ding first whispered, but his tone was quite excited.

   Ever since Zhou Jing helped him get rid of his enemies, his respect for Zhou Jing has risen to a new level.

Moreover, these few days, he has opened his eyes. Chen Feng's violent temperament has taught him to be full of emotions. He only thinks that a man should be like this. When Lu Jian is not flat, he draws his sword to eradicate evil. Don't look ahead.

  Hong Dingxian couldn't help but feel fortunate to leave Hongyun Mountain with Zhou Jing, how could it be so exciting to stay on the mountain.

   "That's not true. Back then, I followed my second brother to make trouble in Anlin's house, which was also a general idea."

  Fang Zhen laughed and felt deeply.

   Guo Haishen was a little more mature and worried: "Second brother really wants to kill Jiang Chun all the way with great fanfare? In this way, I am afraid that we will not be able to move an inch in the future, and once we show up, officers and soldiers will be hunted down."

   Zhou Jing took a sip of tea and waved his hand: "I'm waiting around, and the number of people is small. Even if the officers and soldiers raise their troops and move the crowd, it will be difficult to round me up."

   Lin Song on the side did not dare to speak.

   After seeing Zhou Jing's behavior in the past few days, he realized that this person is a lawless generation, and he was cowardly, and did not dare to speak up easily.

   Just as the group was drinking tea soup, a few sweaty passersby walked in.

   Seeing this group of strong and powerful men, a few passersby hesitated and sat in the corner.

   Zhou Jing and the others stopped when they saw outsiders, and drank tea by themselves.

   After a while, the passers-by started chatting. For fear of disturbing Zhou Jing and other big men, their voices were so low that most people couldn't hear what they were saying.

   However, Zhou Jing and his party, many of them were proficient in martial arts, with outstanding ears, and heard a series of words such as "court soldiers and horses", "Red Cloud Mountain", "suppressing bandits" and so on.

   Hearing these words, everyone's eyes flashed and they exchanged glances.

  Guo Haishen got up immediately, holding a bowl of tea, smiled and approached to chat.

  He travels south and north, and he is also good at this kind of communication.

   Guo Haishen chatted with these passersby for a while before returning to the crowd and winking, indicating that this is not the place to go into details.

   Everyone understood, paid for the tea, left the tea shop, walked a short distance, and then asked the reason.

   "I just found out that the four states of Luhe River joined forces to attack Hongyun Mountain, claiming to be 30,000 horses. This Anzhou sent 6,000 officers and soldiers, and they happened to be nearby. Those passers-by saw it yesterday."

   Guo Haishen's tone was solemn.

   Everyone was shocked.

   "30,000 soldiers and horses to suppress bandits? Why are there so many this time?"

   Hong Dingxian was shocked.

   He had also seen officers and soldiers fighting bandits during his career in the fall of Hutoushan Mountain, but this was the first time he had heard of such a big hand.

   Fang Zhen snorted coldly: "Hey, there are a lot of people in the army who are on empty pay. Half of the 30,000 people is not bad."

"There are 15,000 people in half, not a small number. The second brother helped Hongyun Mountain expand, and the three villages were combined into one village, becoming a big bandit in Luhe. It is estimated that the prefects of the prefectures can't sit still, and they have to send troops... Hongyun Mountain is here. The second is in danger, second brother, what should we do?"

   Guo Haishen asked.

   Everyone turned to look at Zhou Jing.

  Zhou Jing touched his chin, and pondered, "What do you guys think?"

   "Return to Hongyun Mountain and help Yuzhai Lord to repel the officers and soldiers."

   Guo Haishen didn't think twice.

   Zhou Jing shook his head, noncommittal.

   "Does the brother plan to ignore it?" Guo Haishen was surprised.

   Zhou Jing waved his hand: "The Anzhou soldiers and horses are nearby. I'll go check the facts first. If I can take advantage of it, I can disturb the soldiers and horses and cut off the officers and soldiers. As for Hongyun Mountain, I don't have to go back."

   He didn't want to go back to Hongyun Mountain to help. After all, he was not a gang. He helped Yu Feng expand himself. Although this led to officers and soldiers to conquest, it is best for Hong Yunshan to pass this test by himself, and he can't get any benefits.

  The officers and soldiers are strong, and if they don’t go back, Green Forest Road won’t say anything. However, it was not in line with Chen Feng's temperament to completely stand by, so Zhou Jing decided to help indirectly.

  Fang Zhen was taken aback: "Second brother, how can the six thousand soldiers in Anzhou be disturbed?"

   Zhou Jing said in a deep voice, "I have my own concerns, you don't have to follow me, I alone will be enough."

   "How can I let my brother be in danger alone?!"

  The crowd was in an uproar and immediately opposed it.

   "The fewer people in this matter, the better. If you intervene, it will bring more risks."

   Zhou Jing's tone was firm, he discouraged everyone, and said his plan.

   After hearing this, everyone was stunned and shouted boldly.

   But everyone had seen Zhou Jing's amazing martial arts. After hesitating, he was persuaded and decided to let Zhou Jing act alone.

  …

That night.

   Beside Huangxi County, thousands of soldiers and horses under Liu Tong’s command camped on the spot, waiting to rest.

   At the same time, Zhou Jing was lying on a dirt slope, observing the camp below, his eyes flickering.

   "The fortifications and sentry patrols are quite reliable, much better than the bandits. The commander is a bit of a knowledgeable soldier... Unfortunately, it is still useless to me."

  The large number of officers and soldiers of the imperial court did not hide their tracks, so Zhou Jing only inquired a little during the day and knew the camping location of the soldiers and horses in Anzhou.

On the way   , he also found officers and soldiers scouts searching around him, so he figured out the ins and outs... Obviously, this troop passed through Huangxi County and found traces of his crime, so he stopped the march for the time being and wanted to try to catch him.

  Guo Haishen and others continued to move forward, revealing their tracks to passers-by, deliberately leading away the chasing soldiers and horses, making people think they were moving away.

  Zhou Jing himself quietly turned back, and took advantage of the night to touch the camp of Anzhou soldiers and horses.

   He didn't plan to break through the thousands of troops in Anju, but commanding the troops required officers at all levels, and the plan was rough and simple - kill the officers in seven, seven, eight, eight, and the army would be almost paralyzed.

   To slay thousands of troops head-on, he is currently out of reach, and his own skills in assassination are the maximum efficiency of destruction.

  You can't start on the march, but the troops always need to camp, and this is the opportunity. No matter how vigilant the officers and soldiers are, if they want to sneak in single-handedly, they can always find flaws.

   "Anju claims to have 6,000 soldiers and horses, how come they don't even seem to have half of them?"

   Zhou Jing observed the camp and muttered to himself.

   This is good news, it is more convenient to sneak in and kill yourself.

   He took a deep breath, turned on the map radar, and quietly touched the camp in the darkness.

  …

   Inside the camp, the main tent.

  Liu Tongzhi was wearing a helmet and armor, reading at night, watching the military situation reported by the scouts during the day.

   "This Chen Feng really hasn't gone far... This official is really lucky!"

  Liu Tongzhi was in high spirits and his heart was surging.

   If you win this Chen Feng, you will be rewarded by the imperial court.

   And this Chen Feng once hurt Qin Xiang's disciples, and he made this contribution, and he may even climb the Qin Party, and it is just around the corner!

  Liu Tongzhi was secretly excited, and he was bound to win. He only felt that the future of promotion and fortune was beckoning to him.

   At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.

   A man dressed as a soldier walked in without notice.

  Liu Tongzhi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously shouted: "Which battalion are you a soldier? Who let you in? Where are the guards outside the door?"

   Zhou Jing did not say a word, and pulled out his waist knife.

   At this time, Liu Tongzhi realized that something was wrong, his face changed greatly, he hurriedly drew out his sword, and shouted:

   "Someone! Help..."

brush!

  Snow bright knife light is fleeting.

  Liu Tongzhi froze, a blood line appeared on his neck, and fine blood beads appeared.

   He widened his eyes in disbelief, made two "hoho" sounds in his throat, and fell backwards, slamming to the ground.

   'This official has not shown his skills yet, how can he die here...'

  Liu Tongzhi's face was full of unwillingness, and he struggled to raise his hand, as if trying to grab something, but his palm was unable to hang down in the end.

   (end of this chapter)