Chapter 518: Step 2 of the Action

More than a hundred bloody and scarred soldiers were lying or sitting outside the checkpoint, while Mrs. Lu was lying on a bamboo couch in the checkpoint. This was also the most comfortable bedding in the checkpoint. , in front of Mrs. Lu, Lu Bin and Cao Tianci stood on one left and one on the right. . . This checkpoint is the last check before entering Shannan County. Although these more than 100 people are scarred, they are still troops. Naturally, they cannot enter the city without permission from the city.

The captain of the sentry post was serving him carefully, but unfortunately he couldn't bring anything else besides a little hot water and a pot of charcoal fire.

Mrs. Lu is the mother of Sima Luchao from Shannan County, so naturally he would not dare to neglect her.

The sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and Mrs. Lu's closed eyes suddenly opened. Perhaps it was a heart-to-heart connection between mother and child. She intuitively sensed that Lu Chao was coming. She had just sat up holding on to the armrest of the bamboo lounge chair when the sound of horse hooves suddenly reached the checkpoint. Outside, Lu Chao dismounted and went straight to the checkpoint. In his panic, he even forgot that he was still wearing a long official robe. He almost tripped over the front of the long robe. After stumbling, Lu Chao tried his best to steady himself. , stepped into the guard post, looked at his mother on the couch, Lu Chao's eyes were filled with tears, he knelt down with a bang, and walked to Mrs. Lu on his knees.

"Mother, you are suffering."

Mrs. Lu opened her hands, hugged Lu Chao tightly in her arms, and burst into tears. The fear, sadness, despair and desperation after Lu Hong's death were expressed in her cries.

After a long while, Mrs. Lu managed to control her emotions. She stared at Lu Chao, as if she was afraid that he would disappear from her eyes again. She fumbled around with her hands a few times. Lu Bin on the other side untied the baggage knowingly and untied He opened it, took out a wooden box from inside, and handed it to Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu held the box in both hands. He gently touched the surface of the box, and for a moment, he burst into tears again, "Chao'er, I brought your father here."

Taking the urn box from Mrs. Lu, Lu Chao held the small box tightly in his arms and burst into tears. A few years ago, when he parted with his father, his father was still very energetic. At that time, I never imagined that when we met again, it would be just a handful of ashes.

With Lu Chao's best pass, more than a hundred Eastern Expedition troops entered Shannan County in a grand manner and moved into the heavily guarded County Sheriff's Mansion. They fought bloody battles and lost more than half of their troops before killing his mother. Lu Chao was extremely grateful to the soldiers of the Eastern Expedition Army who escorted him here.

Guards in the Sheriff's Mansion. Most of the guards had already gone out with He Yangguang, leaving a lot of rooms vacant. Lu Chao placed Cao Tianci and others in these rooms, and then summoned the doctors in the city. Treat the injuries of these soldiers. Shannan County was originally short of medicinal materials, but a caravan of traders from all over the world happened to be staying in Shannan County, so these medicinal materials were immediately purchased by Lu Chao and used to treat the injuries of these soldiers.

There is no need to say more words of thanks.

After all, the other party had lost so many lives before sending his mother to her. Lu Chao felt that he could not repay the other party without thanking him for his kindness. He can only be given the greatest ability in this aspect.

Cao Tianci stood under the eaves and looked up at the sky. The God who had been clear for two days finally began to snow again tonight. The cold snowflakes fell on his face. A trace of coldness penetrated his face and filled his heart. The dryness in his heart slowly soaked in. He drank a lot of wine tonight.

What he didn't expect was that Lu Chao held a banquet to thank him and even invited Yi Bin. It seemed that everything was going smoothly. Yi Bin and his party also gained Lu Chao's trust. In this way, in Shannan County, he There are more than two hundred people available. This greatly ensures the possibility of success of the operation.

In good conscience, Lu Chao is a good person, kind and righteous, and has no doubts about people like them with ulterior motives. The conversation at the banquet made Cao Tianci understand that Shannan County is just like Lu Chao. It was like one of his children. It came from nothing and was created by Lu Chao with his hands and feet. But soon, he would raise his knife to him and take away everything he cherished.

We can only blame each other for standing on different grounds. Taking advantage of the coldness of the snow to drench the heat in his heart, Cao Tianci strode back to his room, preparing to take a deep sleep. The action should start in the next few days. He and his brothers must ensure that they have good physical strength.

Lu Chao did not feel the immediate danger at all, nor did he expect that Gaoyuan, who was far away in western Liaoning, would actually set his sights on Shannan County. For him, Cao Tianci and his party at this time were the benefactors who protected and rescued his mother. Yi Bin's caravan will bring his Shannan County to a higher level economically.

Whether it is Cao Tianci or Yi Bin, the place they are in is the most dangerous place in Shannan County.

After two days of calm, Shannan County finally smelled an unusual smell. He Yangguang's army had not sent back any message for two full days. This made Lu Chao feel a little uneasy. According to the previous agreement, every day, He Yangguang would Send a group of messengers to Shannan City to report their location and current actions, and the messengers will also bring back the current status of Shannan County.

But for two days, He Yangguang did not send a messenger back. If it had been for one day, it would be understandable, but if it had not been for two days, it would have been cause for alarm. He Yangguang is a standard soldier, and all actions will follow the rules. This kind of thing happened to him. , making Lu Chao feel uneasy.

But he couldn't find the source of this uneasiness. He Yangguang went out to train with a thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry. This force could not find an opponent at all in the square garden, or even on the entire grassland. The only one with this The powerful Zhao people are too far away from them, and there is no intelligence showing that Zhao has any intention to use force against Qin.

Lu Chao spent another day in anxiety. He Yangguang still had no information. This time, not only him, but also the deputy general Zhou Cheng who stayed in Shannan County could not sit still. He found Lu Chao and began to discuss this unusual matter. matter.

"Have you sent out sentries?" Lu Chao looked at Zhou Cheng and asked.

"We were dispatched yesterday, but the weather has turned bad again. We don't know the specific whereabouts of General He, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to find. We can only go out and try our luck." Zhou Cheng was also restless.

"Wherever the Huns' camps that General He wants to destroy are, General He should be there!" Lu Chao said loudly: "How come they can't be found?"

"I also sent people to the locations of these tribes. The Huns' camps were found there and they were rushed to the pool, but there was no trace of General He." Zhou Cheng's face turned bitter, "Now the sentries have begun to expand. range.

"You haven't replied yet?" Lu Chao asked.

"Yesterday's ones haven't come back yet, I sent another group out today!"

Lu Chao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said: "When my mother came here, she encountered more than two hundred horse bandits. Did General He encounter them?"

"How can two hundred horse bandits be General He's opponent?" Zhou Cheng shook his head in denial, "With their small manpower, they don't have the power to shake General He."

"I heard from Cao Tianci that the horse bandits who attacked them were organized by several different groups of horse bandits. General Zhou, do you think it is possible that the Huns and horse bandits from hundreds of miles away in Fangyuan gathered together and suddenly attacked General He? The manpower of each of them is insufficient, but if they are combined, they are still a large number." Lu Chao said.

"How is this possible?" Zhou Cheng was surprised, "The Huns are already scattered, and they are constantly attacking each other. How can anyone have the ability to make them give up their hatred and unite together?"

Lu Chao nodded, what Zhou Cheng said was true, but after thinking about it, he added: "In the past two years, General He will send troops to attack these Xiongnu tribes and horse thieves every winter. There is a pattern to follow. , is it possible that the Huns have realized this and thought that General He would send troops, so they united. "

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Cheng was also shaken. Indeed, in the past two years, they would use the Huns as training targets every winter and send troops to attack them. This has formed a pattern. If it is true as Lu Chao said, the Huns know This rule, in order to avoid being asked by He Yangguang like this again, temporarily give up the contradiction and unite together, it is not impossible to fight against He Yangguang.

"But even so, shouldn't there be no messenger coming back?"

"Those horse thieves have excellent riding skills. I suspect that they blocked the messenger channel between General He and us." Lu Chao said: "General He, you have sent many messengers in the past two days. Which direction has never returned? "

When Lu Chao reminded him, Zhou Cheng's hair stood on end and he stood up. "Lu Sima, I am going to lead troops out of the city to meet General He. What you have guessed may be true."

"There are only three thousand people in the city."

"I will take two thousand men and leave a thousand men for you to command and defend. These horse thieves have no ability to attack the city. One thousand men should be enough. I suggest that Shannan County immediately enter a state of combat readiness and prepare all soldiers to go to the city to prevent the Huns." Even if they come suddenly, there is no way they can break Shannan City as long as the city is on guard."

"That's it!" Lu Chao stood up, "General Zhou, be careful, but your trip this time is limited to fifty miles outside the city. If you can't find General He within this range, you must return immediately."

"I see!"

Cao Tianci was awakened by the sound of military bugles. He put on a quilt and went to the window. He saw a general wearing a blanket walking out of the governor's mansion. Behind him, a wave of Qin generals followed. Following suit, he smiled slightly, jumped back on the bed, and covered himself tightly.

The second step has already begun. The Qin army that leaves Shannan City will be completely destroyed. (To be continued...)