Ao Jingshan studied the map on horseback.
"Time is still tight. Considering the problems of food, fodder, and armaments, Bozhou may not be able to gather many troops."
The Seventh Prince stuck his head out of the car window.
"Didn't you just say that you would definitely win?"
"Your Highness, the Art of War says: 'If your force is ten, surround it; if your force is five, attack it; if your force is twice as many, fight it; if your force is equal, divide it.' We can certainly win now, but if we can mobilize more people, we can win without bloodshed."
"That's it..."
The Seventh Prince nodded.
It would be best if there was no bloodshed, but he didn't want to fight.
Everyone continued to study the map.
Now, the most important thing is to determine the most likely marching route of the Yingsang pirates and complete the interception, otherwise we will be released like a headless fly.
Ao Jingshan analyzed:
"According to where the pirates were last spotted..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Xiang Nanyu: "There is a horse coming in a hurry. I'm afraid there is new battle report."
Everyone looked around.
Although night had fallen, the moon was dim and the stars were sparse, but one could still see a fast horse galloping from east to west towards the team in the distance.
Mu Shi raised her hand.
The Young Phoenix Camp aimed twenty plum blossom crossbows at the direction of the approaching people.
"Who is it? Stop and slow down!"
The knight jumped off his horse and fell to the ground with his lips bitten.
But he ignored his injuries and held up the battle report.
"I came from Tongshui with urgent military information!"
Xiang Nanyu pointed with his right hand.
The battle report flew lightly into the hands of the Seventh Prince.
Seventh Prince: !!!
He was grateful.
It turned out that someone in this team treated him as the boss and gave him the battle report first. Moreover, the other party was a cultivator close to Li Qingcha...
Thinking of this, I almost burst into tears.
The Seventh Prince started reporting the battle, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"Just take a look."
He handed the battle report to Ao Jingshan.
Ao Jingshan simply read it out: "The people of Maolian Village refused to hand over their property, and three of them died; the pirates of Yingsang went deep into the villages of Li and Mao, and twelve people died, including women and children...hiss..."
"..."
"..."
Quiet.
Absolute silence.
The Seventh Prince shrank his neck and said, "How do those good-for-nothings in Tongshui County do things? Didn't they say that pirates usually only know how to beat, smash, and rob?"
Everyone sighed and thought that the prince was too stupid.
How could there be no casualties in such a large-scale robbery?
But the pirates of Yingsang rarely killed people. It has been decades since we have seen more than double-digit numbers of people killed.
After all, without the maritime ban, ordinary trade can be done even though the profit is low. On the contrary, creating a blood feud will lead to the obstruction of trade.
The traitors in the smuggling group will also raise the price, and you need to spend money to settle it.
The cost and benefits are seriously mismatched...
Ao Jingshan couldn't help but mutter, "These pirates are becoming more and more incomprehensible."
Li Qingcha waved his hand.
"Forget it. Every time we delay here, Daxia will incur a blood debt. Let's march quickly."
Ao Jingshan looked at the map again.
According to the battle report, if the troops go ten miles south, they should be able to encounter the pirates.
He ordered the troops to change direction.
At this moment, a soldier rushed over here, panting and saying: "General, the scouts reported that the Great Bodhisattva Flag was found in Xujiao Village ahead, but the village was silent, and the people and pirates seemed to have moved away."
Great Bodhisattva...
Li Qingcha snorted coldly.
These pirates acted so brutally and yet they still tried to justify themselves.
Ao Jingshan found Xujiao Village on the map and nodded silently.
The route and distance estimated just now are correct.
He said to the soldier, "Aren't you a scout? You told me that 'it seems' that everyone has moved?"
Now that we have entered the designated combat zone, we must take every step firmly. If the intelligence we receive is inaccurate, it will be like charging into the fog of war, which will be a vain act.
The soldier murmured, not knowing how to answer.
Luo Weiyang said, "Master Ao, I can see the gray mist coming from the direction of Xujiao Village. I'm afraid three or five more people have died. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that anyone can stay in the village."
A cold light flashed in Li Qingcha's eyes.
She turned to Mushi,
"I remember there was painting training in the Winter Vacation Garden of the Phoenix Camp."
Mu Shi: ￣□￣｜｜
“I didn’t draw.”
"No, I don't want to check the homework right now. Find a few people who are good at painting and go to Xujiao Village to draw the situation on the wood chips."
"What is this doing?"
"..."
Li Qingcha was silent.
There are some things that people of this era cannot understand.
After a long pause, she replied, "To leave evidence of the pirates' crimes in Daxia."
Mu Shi was stunned.
"Evidence? Killing pirates is justified, why do we need evidence? Sir, are you going to judge them first and then chop off their heads? That's unnecessary..."
She obviously thought Li Qingcha was pedantic.
Li Qingcha sighed.
"This evidence is not for people today to see, but for history books and future generations. After all, the impact of a picture is far more convincing than cold words."
"Well……"
"You don't need to understand, just do as I say."
"promise!"
Mu Shi trusted Li Qingcha very much, and asked a few female soldiers from the Young Phoenix Camp to go to Xujiao Village to record.
Li Qingcha frowned as he watched them disappear into the night.
Luo Weiyang came over,
"Brother Li, what are you thinking about?"
Li Qingcha came back to his senses.
"I... um... I always feel like there's something fishy about what happened today. Is there any connection between the attack on the headquarters and the pirate landing..."
This feeling became extremely strong after receiving the battle report.
Inciting the rioters to attack the imperial commissioner's office was undoubtedly the work of Jian Zengren. He also emphasized that it was necessary to provoke the officers and soldiers and kill a few rioters, which seemed very unnecessary.
The behavior of the Yingsang pirates is also very strange.
There are only a hundred people like this, they can't rob much money, but they also commit murders at will...
Did they land just to kill civilians?
Li Qingcha looked towards the Seventh Prince, and suddenly felt that he had grasped something.
She came over.
"Your Highness."
scare!
The Seventh Prince hid back like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Whenever Li Qingcha approaches, something bad will happen. He has formed a conditioned reflex.
"Ahem... Li Qingcha, please keep your distance."
Li Qingcha retreated helplessly.
The Seventh Prince heaved a sigh of relief and said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me and don't come any closer."
Li Qingcha nodded and asked, "If... I mean if, when the rioters attacked the headquarters just now, your guards accidentally killed civilians, what would you do?"
The Seventh Prince immediately became cautious.
"Why do you ask?"
"curious."
"Huh! Just curious?"
"Your Highness, there are no civilian deaths now, just tell the truth."
The Seventh Prince frowned even deeper.
a long time,
"You're right. Since no one was killed, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. If I really did kill a civilian, I would definitely try to cover it up and make it look like Jiang Yang..."
Before the word "robber" in "big thief" was uttered, another scout came to report:
"We have detected the Yingsang pirates moving around ahead. They have discovered us and are already forming their battle arrays and preparing."
So fast?
Li Qingcha was slightly stunned.
Ao Jingshan sneered,
"Heh... Interesting... Why do I feel like these pirates are coming for us?"
Chapter 230 Sir, times have changed
The bright moon is in the sky,
Although it was dark at night, there was a relatively open area ahead and it was impossible not to be discovered.
Ao Jingshan was deep in thought.
"Although the pirates have the advantage of short guns, their range is still inferior to bows and crossbows. Moreover, to be honest, those small muskets have no power unless they are used in close combat."
As he spoke, he looked around,
No one stole the show.
