1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2216
Tens of thousands of merchants meet in the sunset, and a city of spring breeze and wine is mixed.Yangzhou, which is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, has naturally become a turnover center for material circulation between the north and the south. In addition, it later became the center of the world's salt industry. Countless wealth gathered here from all over the world, creating the city's long-term prosperity. Prosperity.

There are as many as a thousand shops in Yangzhou City, and the number of migrants entering and leaving the city every day is also a huge number. Caravans composed of many carriages are not uncommon in this city, so Dai Yingda's convoy travels through the streets There isn't much that stands out either.

Of course, Lu Kangtai's subordinates are still clinging to the back and refusing to give up, but at this time the initiative has been lost. They can't predict the route of the convoy, and they can't clear the field in advance. It will cause chaos in the city. When the time comes, the people will flee in all directions. It will be difficult for the Musketeers to get a good shooting vision. On the contrary, it may provide excellent cover for the opponent to escape.

Lu Kangtai went around in a circle, and after Gao Yongshou left, he also boarded a carriage and followed Dai Yingda's convoy.And all the information feedback from the front was continuously sent to this mobile headquarters.

"The convoy drove into Wenchang Road, heading towards Fuya!"

"The convoy turned around near the government office and headed south!"

"The convoy turned into Jingzhong Lane and headed towards Xianhe Temple!"

"The convoy has passed the gate of Xianhe Temple, and then turned into Zanhua Lane and headed east!"

The target in front kept changing the direction of travel, and the several deployments Lu Kangtai made in advance to predict the opponent's route were all cleverly avoided by the opponent.

If it was all a coincidence, Lu Kangtai would definitely not believe it. Obviously, there were people in the opponent's convoy who were very familiar with the environment in the city, and they were constantly giving instructions to change the route.This is equivalent to the opponent's prediction of Lu Kangtai's prediction, which caused Lu Kangtai's orders to fall behind step by step, and it was impossible to block the opponent's route at all.

The other party arranged such professionals in advance to direct the convoy's route, which was completely in response to Lu Kangtai's deployment.Lu Kangtai knew that his own plan of action would not be leaked out in advance, so it could only show that the opponent's plan was superior, and the arrangements he made were against Lu Kangtai's deployment in every way.

This made Lu Kangtai unavoidably feel extremely frustrated. He has always felt that he has no plans and will always overwhelm his opponents. It is only a matter of time before he wins the seven surnames. The very stable government contacts seem to have loosened.

"Boss, what should we do next?"

Seeing that Lu Kangtai was speechless for a long time, the subordinates had no choice but to ask him for instructions on the next move.The convoy was traveling in the city non-stop, and the instructions here would be slowed down every step of the way, and if it was delayed for a while, the other party might leave the city safely.

Lu Kangtai recovered from his contemplation, and knew that he could not accurately predict the opponent's route, and it was not an option to follow the opponent's buttocks all the time, so he could only bet that the opponent must pass through to return to Daijiazhuang. On the road, gather the manpower in advance, so that there may be a chance to fight.

"They changed their route many times, but they still headed south to guard the city gate and water gate in the south of the city! When they found out which city gate they were approaching, they tried to cause some trouble, slowing down the speed of the convoy leaving the city, and the others rushed there as soon as possible Gather outside the city gate and try to stop them before they board the boat and cross the river!"

After Lu Kangtai gave the order, he immediately set off to the south of the city. He wanted to leave the city first, so that he could direct the interception operation on the front line.As long as there are no government officials nearby to get in the way, he will order to intercept Dai Yingda's convoy.

The convoy turned left and right in the city, and it seemed that it took a lot of detours, but it was very smooth, and there was no obstacle on the way.Although there were always people from the other side following behind the convoy, the convoy kept moving forward without giving them any chance to do anything.

"Boss Dai is really good at arranging this guide. It seems that our trip out of the city is much easier than expected!" Dai Yingda started talking.He thought that even if Gao Yongshou intervened, Lu Kangtai would still take risks in the city, but the retreat route arranged by Lin Zhong should have effectively interfered with the opponent's deployment, making it impossible to intercept in the city.

Dai Yingda said: "Lin Zhong has lived in Yangzhou City for 20 years, and he is very familiar with the city every day. Even if Lu Kangtai can make some arrangements, how can he compare with Lin Zhong in terms of familiarity with the environment?" Chung?"

Dai Yingda's tone was full of pride. This chess piece has been deployed in Yangzhou City for 20 years and has been rarely used. But for today's mission, the role played by Lin Zhong is worth all the resources invested in it over the years.

Yuan Tao said: "Boss Dai has secretly deployed a lot of people in Yangzhou City, right?"

Dai Yingda smiled and said: "The manpower deployed in the city is like Lin Zhong, who can only complete some auxiliary tasks, but can't carry out combat tasks like an army like the brothers of the treasurer Yuan. The following is Being able to escape from Yangzhou City, Shopkeeper Yuan is naturally the number one credit!"

Dai Yingda's compliment benefited Yuan Tao very much. He was about to reply when someone outside the car reported in a low voice, "Boss, there is still half a mile to go to Yijiangmen!"

Yuan Tao said to Dai Yingda: "The last part of the journey may be the most dangerous. I will go outside the car to be on guard first. If I don't give instructions, Boss Dai must not show up on his own. Remember!"

Dai Yingda knew that what Yuan Tao said was not alarmist, so he clasped his fists and said, "Then there will be the shopkeeper Lao Yuan!"

Yuan Tao got out of the car and immediately issued a new order.Although the Yijiang Gate is close at hand, it does not mean that the opponent will give up the attack on the convoy. Before crossing the canal, there may be unexpected situations every moment.

In this convoy, apart from the groom who needs to be familiar with the road conditions and Dai Yingda's close guards, the other dozens of people are all from Jindun.Yuan Tao knew that this trip was extremely dangerous, so he asked everyone to bring muskets, and each carriage had five guns hidden. Once attacked, he would use the carriage as a cover and organize a counterattack on the spot.

The carriage that Dai Yingda was riding in was originally his exclusive car, and the carriage had been specially reinforced, which was enough to block musket shots from a certain distance, so Yuan Tao specifically told him not to leave the carriage easily, lest he would expose the target and attract opponents Focus fire attack.

When approaching Yijiang Gate, there was a sudden traffic jam ahead. Yuan Tao ordered someone to check it out. The reward he got was that the axle of a carriage going out of the city in front suddenly broke, and the car fell sideways at the gate of the city, just hitting the narrow Yijiang Gate. blocked.At this time, pedestrians entering and leaving the city can only barely pass through, and the carriage cannot get out no matter what.However, the soldiers guarding the city gate are already clearing the road, and they should be able to pass after a while.

"Sooner or later, we will be blocked when we reach the gate of the city..." Yuan Tao felt that this was too coincidental, but at this time it was already inconvenient to change the route and find another way out of the city, because it was arranged in advance to meet him by the canal outside the city The ships and manpower are just outside the Yijiang Gate. At this time, it will be very inconvenient to carry out the whole body, and the delay will only be more.

Yuan Tao made a decisive decision and immediately ordered: "Send someone out of the city alone, let the ferry get ready for departure, and the responders outside the city are ready to fight!"

Although Yuan Tao couldn't confirm whether the unexpected car accident ahead was the opponent's arrangement, the delay caused by it would obviously create opportunities for the opponent to deploy troops.Considering that there are still many soldiers defending the city at the city gate ahead, Yuan Tao thinks that the opponent should not attack here, so the most dangerous place may be the less than a hundred feet away from the city to the canal wharf.

After waiting anxiously for a while, the passage at the gate of the city was finally cleared, and the caravans blocking the gate began to move again.Yuan Tao got out of the carriage and walked slowly beside the carriage. His right hand, which was covered with a bag, was already holding the revolver at his waist.He brought out all five revolvers that he had requested from the military for this operation today.Five armed guards, including himself, were all around Dai Yingda's carriage. Once someone wanted to get close, they could use their revolvers to intercept and kill the opponent at close range.

However, the revolver is rarely equipped in the Haihan army, Yuan Tao has only touched it a few times, and several of his subordinates have learned how to use this weapon to fire before setting off. It can be said that there is no such weapon practical experience.So just to be on the safe side, each of them carried a short knife. If the pistol didn't work well, they could only fight with cold weapons.

The convoy passed through Yijiang Gate slowly, but they did not breathe a sigh of relief when they left the city. Many people were staring at them in the open area outside the city gate, and many of them had sticks wrapped in linen around them. Yuan Tao realized that what was wrapped there was most likely a musket.

After the convoy had all left the city, Yuan Tao saw that the people around him were already ready to move, and he was very decisive at the moment, and immediately grabbed the copper whistle hanging around his neck and blew it.This was the signal to enter the battle state. As soon as the Golden Shield men heard the whistle, they immediately drew their muskets from the carriage beside them according to the predetermined battle plan, assembled in groups of five, and aimed their guns at the nearby crowd.

For Yuan Tao, protecting Dai Yingda's safe return to Daijiazhuang is the top priority at the moment. As for whether to take the initiative to take force during this period, he does not have as many scruples as Lu Kangtai.Even if someone kills someone, there is no need to worry about the government's liquidation afterwards.

Most of the people like Jin Dun are veterans who have been on the battlefield, and their actual combat experience is much stronger than that of Lu Kangtai's militia.Some people want to continue pretending to be passers-by and wait for the opportunity, while others think that the battle has already begun, and immediately start to show their weapons in a hurry to fight. The ground fled in all directions, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.

Lu Kangtai, who was not far away, was obviously not prepared for this. He didn't expect that the opponent would take the initiative to fight without hesitation after leaving the city. When he gave the order, he was already a beat behind the opponent.

At this time, the people of Golden Shield had already fired first, and the targets were those who had just shown their weapons nearby.Although five people were used as a group to shoot scattered targets, due to the extremely short distance, the first round of strikes achieved quite good results, and immediately many people fell to the ground from all directions.

The gunshots immediately caused even greater chaos. The people who hadn't noticed the movement here realized that someone was fighting diplomatically at the city gate, and more people fled in all directions.

But the other caravans that were originally in front of Dai Yingda's convoy stopped after being frightened, and the grooms all shrank into the convoy to avoid the chaos of the war, which blocked most of their advancing route.Yuan Tao had no choice but to order the convoy to bypass the chariots and horses in front and approach the canal wharf as soon as possible.

It wasn't until the second round of shooting by the Golden Shield men that Lu Kangtai's men finally recovered and began to organize a counterattack with the help of surrounding obstacles.The musketeers team newly trained by Lu Kangtai also entered the battlefield today, but this team has almost no actual combat experience, and was caught off guard by the opponent just after the exchange of fire.Several musketeers panicked and were smashed into sieves by the golden shield before they even raised their guns.

Although Lu Kangtai is quite good at the big layout, but in terms of this kind of experience in commanding battles on the front line, he may not be as good as a general in the army.After all, he himself has no military experience, and he has never personally participated in combat. Half of the tactics he has mastered come from military books he has read, usually from the words and deeds of his previous vigilante coaches.Now that he really started to do it, Lu Kangtai realized that the skills he had learned seemed not enough to deal with the chaotic situation in front of him.

How many guns does the opponent have, which vehicle is the target person in, is there any armed personnel on the other side of the pier ready to respond, is the opponent trying to get away, or is he trying to lure all his own armed forces to carry out the extermination, amidst the chaos All kinds of questions flooded into Lu Kangtai's mind, so he didn't know which one to take care of first.

And at this time, he had to give instructions to his subordinates who were in a state of panic, otherwise these people might hide behind various bunkers until the other party boarded the ship and left safely.

"Stop them! Kill one and get a hundred taels of silver! Kill me!" Lu Kangtai himself was a little confused, so he could only issue such random orders and let his men fight for the bounty.

Of course, this kind of order will stimulate those desperadoes under him, but the problem is that after losing the unified tactics, it is difficult for these people to form a joint force when they split up and attack.None of the dozen or so desperadoes who tried to rush to the vicinity were spared. They all fell to the ground amidst the chaotic gunshots. They didn't even know where the bullets they were shot came from. Perhaps some of the stray bullets came from behind. The accomplices who opened fire indiscriminately are also hard to say.

(End of this chapter)