In the evening, we arrived at a small mountain village and had not yet caught up with the Jin army.

The village was massacred by the Jin army. Dead bodies were everywhere, and chickens and dogs were silent. Seeing Jiang Min and others arriving, seeing that they were government troops, the remaining villagers surrounded them.

Jiang Min looked at the villagers gathered around, there were about a dozen people. Most of them were women and children, rarely strong men. Some people still had wounds on their bodies, wrapped randomly with unknown cloth. They looked at Jiang Min and others timidly,

No one came forward.

Jiang Min coughed and said, "Where is Li Zheng here?"

Someone said: "Are you talking about Song Yuanwai? His whole family was killed by the Jin people, and the bodies haven't been collected yet!"

Jiang Min couldn't help but frown after hearing this: "The whole family was killed? Why are the Jin people so vicious?"

Someone said: "In our village, only his house is better, and it was occupied by the Jin people. I heard that the woman was raped, and the two children in the family were kidnapped by the Jin people, and they disappeared. By the way, the Jin people kidnapped them."

There are five or six children in the village who don’t know what to do.”

Jiang Min said: "It only takes a day or two to pass Yangjiao Mountain and reach Yicheng County. Why did the Jin people kidnap the children? Aren't they afraid that the children will drag them down and make them walk fast on the road? Strange!"

After saying that, he ordered the whole family to stay in this small mountain village and continue to pursue the Jin army tomorrow morning.

These people led by Jiang Min were all carefully selected from Dengzhou's army as seeds for establishing a base area. The training they received was different from other forbidden troops. The general assigned the soldiers to each household, and they began to clean up the house.

Those carrying water and those sweeping the courtyard were busy inside and outside. Where had the villagers seen such a thing before? It was strange to follow them around.

After tidying up the room a bit, and just as Jiang Min sat down to take a breath, soldiers came to report that the spies were back.

When they arrived at the hall, two soldiers came up. They crossed their hands and said, "We have discovered the traces of the Jin army and came back to report to the commander."

Jiang Min said: "Where is the Jin Army now? How far is it from us?"

A soldier said: "Back to Tongzhi, the Jin army is now stationed in the mountains in the south, less than twenty miles away from us. They should have set off from this village at noon and marched all afternoon. Early tomorrow morning, if our army is in a hurry

, should be able to catch up with them. However, the Jin army is very accustomed to marching in mountainous areas. If they leave early, it will be difficult to catch up."

Jiang Min frowned after hearing this: "Zhi Niang thief, I have been chasing them for several days and I still can't catch them. I'm going to hell! No matter what, I will bite them tomorrow! If not, let them go out of Yangjiao Mountain and into Yiyi Mountain."

Isn’t the city and county a joke? These Jurchens were ruthless. They massacred the city once when they conquered Shenshan County, and they massacred this small mountain village again! I don’t know how many people died along the way!"

A soldier said: "This village makes a living by hunting and there is very little land for farming. When the Jin army came, the old and the weak took food and hid in the mountains. The Jin people did not grab much food. They had been in the mountains for several days and were hungry.

After a full meal, I think it won’t be the same as when I first opened it.”

Jiang Min nodded: "That should be the case. But these Jurchens walk very fast, I really can't be sure about them!"

After thinking for a while, Jiang Min said: "You guys rest in the village overnight. Don't wait until dawn tomorrow to catch up! Wherever the Jin people run, you have to chase them. Don't lose their traces! No matter what, we must annihilate them all.

them!"

The soldiers agreed and left.

Jiang Min sat down alone and was in a daze.

The establishment of a base in Shenshan County has not gone smoothly this time. Not long after arriving, the Jin army captured the county seat before they could figure out the surrounding situation. Although it was quickly recaptured, the remaining more than 20 Jin soldiers wanted to capture

It was not easy to live there. After chasing for several days, I was still wandering around in the mountains.

Wanyan Yinshu could guard the east of the river and abandoned most of the prefectures and counties. The Jin army was only stationed in the Fen River Valley and a few important cities. Although the places were abandoned, the Jin army's strength was not scattered. Every autumn and winter, they would still organize

It is not easy to fight against the Jin rebels by advancing troops to suppress them.

Hedong is among the mountains. Except for a few valleys, most places are covered with mountains and barren land. The rebels were driven into the mountains and were often surrounded and suppressed. Life was difficult. Without external support, they would be wiped out by the Jin army sooner or later.

.

Choosing Shenshan County first, Jiang Min wanted to have Jiangzhou as his back and get the support of Wang Xiaolie across the river. Although it is located in the mountains, it is not far from the Fen River Valley. If his power develops, he can send troops to threaten Jin at any time.

Army. But now it seems that this matter is not easy.

At this moment, there was a lot of noise outside.

Jiang Min called the soldiers and asked, "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

The soldier said: "An old man came and said he could be our guide tomorrow. But I heard from the villagers that this old man is an idler. He is not familiar with the roads around the village, let alone the mountain roads. It's just that this old man stayed at the door.

They just refused to leave, so they were making a lot of noise."

After hearing this, Jiang Min stood up and said, "I'm going out to take a look. I'm going to be on my way early tomorrow morning. I can't delay my rest."

When I walked out of the door, I saw an old man in tattered clothes standing there, smiling and talking to the guard. The guard made a face and just ignored him.

Jiang Min stepped forward and said, "It's dark at night. The soldiers have to go to bed early after eating. Why are you making so much noise?"

The old man's eyes lit up when he saw that Jiang seemed to be an official. He straightened his clothes, stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "This official, the little old man is from the village, his name is Du Wulang, and he is also known as Du Wu with flower arms. I heard

You are an official army, and you are going to fight against the Jin army. Which of us villagers would not be happy! It’s just that the mountain roads around here are rugged, and it’s not possible without someone to lead the way. You are not talented, but you are willing to lead the way for the army!"

Jiang Min looked Du Wulang up and down and said in a deep voice: "No need, we have our own guides in the army."

"It won't happen, it won't happen." Du Wulang waved his hands repeatedly. "The road in this mountain is different from his. It's not how people in this village can recognize it!"

The guard came up and whispered: "Controller, people in the village have said that this Du Wulang has been idle since he was a child. How can he know the way? He wants to blackmail us because he sees us carrying knives and guns. If we really take him with us, I don't know what will happen.

What's going on!"

Jiang Min nodded. Looking at Du Wulang, he saw that his clothes were in tatters, but he was clean. His skin was tender and tender, and he looked like he was not an ordinary farmer. His smile was filled with hope and a bit of falsehood, which made him

It makes people uncomfortable to watch.

Jiang Min said: "Fighting with a large army is not a child's play! We have a guide in the army, and we are very familiar with the surrounding area. My father-in-law has accepted my idea! It's better to go back and rest early, we have to go on the road tomorrow."

Du Wulang just waved his hand: "It won't work, it won't work, how can anyone on the mountain roads here recognize it——"

At this point, he suddenly coughed violently. Du Wulang hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands, and blood flowed from his fingers.

Jiang Min was startled and said hurriedly: "What's wrong with you? Why is there blood flowing out of your mouth? Could it be that you are injured?"

Du Wulang said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I just cough a few times and it will be fine. It doesn't matter."

A villager was delivering firewood to the courtyard. When he saw Du Wulang's appearance, he said: "This morning, a Jurchen came into Du Wu's house. He took away all his good clothes and beat him. I think the injuries were from that time.

"

Jiang Min nodded and asked, "Do you know why Du Wu wants to be our guide?"

The villager said: "Du Wu has been idle since he was a child and only made a living by gambling, so he got the nickname Huan Huan. He can't even recognize the roads outside our village, how can he know the roads in the mountains? His son and daughter-in-law have been there in the past few years.

He only left the child to depend on him. The child was captured by the Jin army. It seems that he couldn't let go of the child, so he wanted to follow you."

"That's it." Jiang Min nodded, finally knowing the origin of Du Wu.
Chapter completed!