Chapter 7: The Escape of the Residents

He rested for three days in a row and used up all his accumulated mana.

He used six points of black mana to strengthen a black servant into a black warrior, and used five points of white mana to refine leather armor and helmet, a sheathed ring-handled sword, shoes, and two sets of military uniforms.

After being padded with two sets of winter military uniforms, the black warrior's skinny torso was able to fill out the leather armor.

The sleeves of one of the military uniforms were cut off to become the black warrior's scarf and hand wraps, so the black warrior's eyes were exposed...his resistance to sunlight was greatly increased.

The four geese became familiar with each other, and the adult gander was also strengthened, with a sturdy body that was the maximum for geese. Naturally, he replaced the previous gander and became the leader of the population.

"A mature male goose produces two coins of goose down every day."

It can no longer be strengthened, and there is no possibility of evolving into a magical beast. It is just the largest white goose in the world.

Held in his arms, it weighed at least 15 or 16 kilograms, equivalent to more than 60 pounds today; its wingspan was more than ten feet wide.

The black bear even came up with some strange ideas. If a few holes were dug on the boat's plank to hold the geese's feet, the geese might be able to propel the boat by flapping their wings.

The Big White Goose's bio-powered sail can more or less provide some speed increase.

It's just a little too eye-catching.

In addition, he obtained two goose eggs, which he also refined into cards and put away.

Accumulate them, and hatch them together when you have a stable base... They should be able to find food and grow on their own.

That night, more than a dozen sampans approached Xiaomeng City. After the inside and outsiders cooperated to hang the garrison officials, nearly a hundred people, young and old, boarded the boats and fled.

Some families had small boats hidden in the swamp, and they took them out. A total of 28 small boats formed a fleet and headed downstream.

At night, these boats were connected front and back, each holding a fish oil torch. The men on the first five or six boats were either wearing wooden armor or broken leather or iron armor. Except for the men rowing the boats, the rest were holding bows and crossbows, short spears, and flying forks.

They marched in such an open and cautious manner, keeping a wary eye on the troops stationed at Yucheng Water Fort... Although they were called a garrison, there were usually only a few dozen soldiers stationed there.

The soldiers under Cao Gong's rule were stationed in different places and had cross-defense arrangements. The soldiers stationed in Yucheng came from 500 miles away, rather than being recruited from the local area.

The water fort downstream of Yucheng was already in a state of panic after the death of two sergeants, and tonight they stayed indoors and refused to go out.

The garrison commander stood in the watchtower inside the village and watched the pirate group migrate away, and heaved a sigh of relief.

The thieves were not discovered at Yucheng Water Fort, so he couldn't discover them here either, so he could only let them pass.

Sailing at night is already considered a courtesy to the garrison.

A few years ago, this group of people might have already wrapped themselves in yellow scarves and robbed and extorted the forts and communities along the way while traveling.

Unlike the cautious black bears, this migrating fleet docked after daybreak. Women and children cut reeds and collected wild vegetables, while five old men lit a fire and cooked soup.

Forty-five men of all ages from seventeen families gathered together. Although they broke through the Yucheng defense line at night, it was not worth celebrating.

It’s not that the garrison is afraid of them, but that the garrison is not clear about the actual situation, which also means that everyone’s retreat is cut off.

But staying in Mengze and Xiaomengcheng would not have a good ending. In February, they served in the army to dig canals. Seventy people went to Xiaomengcheng and sixty-two returned.

This was just the temporary corvée conscription in the spring, which had to happen two or three times a year. No matter how many people there were, there would not be enough deaths.

Heiyun sat with a few close friends, holding a ring-handled sword in his arms, with a solemn expression as if the third child in his family had really died in the corvée construction site. Before seeing a living person, the third child in his family was essentially no different from being dead.

Several of his childhood friends also had nephews and nephews who died in foreign lands, so they generally had no smiles on their faces and showed no mercy when it came to hanging the military farm officials.

These young men sat in two circles. The inner circle was the young men, the backbone of the family; the outer circle was the nephews, nieces, and sons-in-law of each family.

Zhang Jun used a grass stem to draw a river map on the ground and pointed at Fengshuikou not far downstream: "The military commander will never sit idly by. We can just leave if we want. The military commander will not care. You are the military colony. A few people running away is a big deal, let alone nearly a hundred people running away."

He looked around at the leaders of the families who had fled from Xiaomeng City, and continued to point at Fengshuikou with his hand: "Yucheng will not care whether we stay or go, but the military commander will definitely send troops to hunt us down. There will be more than ten ships as the vanguard, and the garrison troops of Yucheng will also participate. I want to set up an ambush at Fengshuikou. What do you think?"

A strong man named Song Wu who was sitting next to Zhang Jun said, "Captain Liu can only mobilize the garrison soldiers, at most a hundred people, all of whom are our neighbors and relatives. These garrison soldiers will not try their best. If there is an ambush, try to shoot and kill the Liu, so that we can escape."

Zhang Jun had a blank expression on his face. "We know this, so how could the commander not know it? In my opinion, he will only dispatch troops to catch up with us. He has to wait for the garrison in Yucheng. He has no right to mobilize the garrison. He needs the order from the Prime Minister of Liang."

As he spoke, Zhang Jun raised his hand and pointed at Xiao County far downstream: "After Liang Guoxiang received the official document from the commander, he must have sent a fast horse to inform Xiayi. So our team cannot stop, we must pass through Xiayi before Xiayi dispatches ships to intercept us!"

"The Prime Minister of Liang will also inform the Prime Minister of Pei. The Prime Minister of Pei is in Xiang County. By the time the Prime Minister's military order reaches Feng County, Pei County, and Xiao County, we will have already entered the Si River and entered the territory of Xuzhou. As long as we are one step faster than the official document, we can avoid being intercepted and hunted down."

Glancing at the famous Song Wu, Zhang Jun continued, "Leave a boat and select six people who are good at archery. Set up an ambush at Fengshuikou. Put the boat on the north bank downstream of the water mouth and place three people there. The other three hide on the north bank of the water mouth. When the pursuers come, the south bank will wait for an opportunity to shoot them. Regardless of whether they succeed or not, they will run downstream. The north bank will shoot arrows to suppress the pursuers, and then push the boat into the water to meet up with the south bank. After that, row as hard as you can."

Song Wu frowned and said, "Why not increase the number to ten and try to kill him with one strike. If we can't kill him, then at least injure him. Six people on the south bank and four people on the north bank where the boats are hidden. In this way, we only need two good archers on the north bank, and the other two just row the boats."

"Eight people who are good at archery..."

Zhang Jun looked around while muttering something. They were all people he knew well. The men on the scene looked around and nearly half of them were qualified for the job.

Then Zhang Jun looked at Hei Yun and another person and said, "There are only two of them left in charge of the Hei and Liang families. There is no need to draw lots."

After that, Zhang Jun picked up the grass stem, exposed one end, covered the other end and closed his eyes: "Let's start."

The man who was known for being a good archer or who claimed to be a good archer and had courage stood up. A man nearby came forward and squatted in front of Zhang Jun, pulled out a grass stem, and after he got the lottery ticket, he went to wait by the side.

At this time, two old men stood up and approached. When the drawing of lots was over, one of them spoke up: "I am good at crossbows."

Zhang Jun, who wandered here from the State of Lu, was not sure whether the old man's words were true or not. He looked around and saw that no one had any objections, so he looked at another old man. This old man had a mouthful of yellow teeth and said, "My grandson is gone, and there is no fun in living." He then selected twelve people and began to make detailed distribution.

After the soup was cooked, nearly two hundred people ate quickly and boarded the ship.

Even children knew the danger of the moment, and they sailed quietly, looking at the unfamiliar reeds on both sides of the river.

At dusk, Fengshuikou.

The pursuing troops led by Liu Sheng, the commander of the Meng County Military Farm, were gradually approaching. There were eight boats in front and behind. Except for two of Liu Sheng's personal soldiers, the rest were young and strong local garrison troops.

In the reeds, six young men half-knelt, drew their bows and slowly aimed at Liu Sheng, who was wearing iron-studded armor and a gray-green cloak.

The old man who volunteered to do the task lay on the ground, holding the crossbow in both hands and carefully adjusting it. The crossbow in his hand was placed on a stone, and the crossbow was very stable.

Holding his breath, the old man took aim before touching the trigger.

The rustling sound of the reeds drowned out the sound of the crossbow being fired, and the crossbow arrow flew through the air without making any sound.

A dozen steps away, Liu Sheng's shoulders trembled and he was nearly knocked into the water by a crossbow arrow. Before the pain came, six sharp arrows were shot at him almost at the same time.

Liu Sheng was hit by another arrow before he reacted. The soldiers around him had already fallen into the water before him. The soldiers rowing the boat and the soldiers on the surrounding boats all lowered their heads to avoid the arrows.

The river water is extremely cold at night in early March.

"Thief!"

Liu Sheng staggered a few steps and spun in place, nearly falling. Another soldier pulled him back onto the boat. His soldier pointed to the south bank and shouted, "Kill the bandits! Kill the bandits and there will be a big reward!"

The nearby ships turned around one after another, and the guards shouted loudly: "Protect the captain! If the captain is gone, you will all die!"

The personal soldier's voice was shrill and his expression was ferocious. Not only would the soldiers in the farming area be in trouble, but he would also not be able to escape death.

Some of the garrison soldiers controlled the ships and headed towards the south bank, while others wanted to protect Liu Sheng.

The ships were not coordinated and collided in an instant, and two unlucky spearmen fell into the river.

Immediately afterwards, the second round of arrows fell near Liu Sheng. An unlucky boatman was shot in the neck. His head suddenly shrank back and he died with his head tilted. There was chaos on the boat.

After this round of arrows, the six archers turned around and ran downstream, moving through the gaps in the reed marsh.

The old man who stayed there strung the last iron arrow, then lay on the ground and watched quietly.

The three boats in the river chased downstream, and after chasing for a few dozen steps, they were shot by two archers on the north bank. The leading boat immediately turned sideways and slowed down.

After a few breaths, no more arrows were shot from both banks, and the boats in the river gradually restored order and salvaged the people who fell into the water.

There was a gentle southeast wind at night. Liu Sheng lay on the boat, looking around and feeling bitter.

There were too many settlers who fled at one time, and they killed the garrison officials before leaving. The responsibility was too great for him to bear.

It would be better to try to hunt him down than to leave him there and wait for punishment, which would mean death.

After another dozen breaths, order was restored to the fleet and those who fell into the water were being salvaged.

Liu Shengcai climbed up with the help of his personal soldiers. The arrow failed to pierce his armor and he fell off the boat, while the iron arrow penetrated more than an inch into his right shoulder.

Seeing the crossbow arrow clearly, the surrounding troops were all in an uproar. The smart ones began to move away from Liu Sheng and retreat, and the small boats also consciously avoided it.

Liu Sheng's right arm could not move. He looked at the other soldier who had just been salvaged, and then looked around and comforted the people nearby: "There are very few bandits, so there is no need to worry."

The personal soldier who had just taken over the command helped Liu Sheng sit cross-legged on the ground and advised him, "It's getting late. If we continue to pursue them, it will be difficult to detect the ambush set by the enemy."

The soldier shuddered as he finished speaking, and lowered his head in disbelief. His chest was intact. He wanted to reach out and touch his vest, but the severe pain and fear made him collapse and kneel in front of Liu Sheng.

"Back off! Back off!"

Liu Sheng lay on his side on the boat and shouted to those nearby, and the old man on the south bank couldn't help but sigh.

They were originally going to evacuate after dark, but Liu Sheng chased them neither too fast nor too slow, and arrived at Fengshuikou just as it was getting dark.

The old man walked quickly downstream with an empty crossbow. There was a dispute among the boats. When the old man got on the boat, the dispute stopped and the eleven people rowed silently downstream.

Two or three miles downstream, another old man who was waiting here had already tied two large bundles of reeds.

One bundle of reeds was pushed to the dense reed area on the north bank and ignited, while the other bundle was used as a fire starter on the south bank.

The wind was not strong at night, but the reeds on both sides were so dense and deep that the fire spread extremely fast.

The remaining catkins ignited and flew away, spreading the fire further.

Seven or eight miles away from the fire, the black bear looked at the burning sky upstream and swallowed subconsciously.

Water and fire are merciless. If someone sets fire to our place from the outside, it will be very bad even if we are submerged in water.

He returned to the thatched cottage and immediately put on another set of leather armor, put on a leather helmet, and pushed the boat into the water with the black warrior.

After gathering the geese and putting them into sacks, we rowed away from the bay.

I would rather go out and face the pursuit and fight than stay where I am and take the chance!
(End of this chapter)