Chapter 38 Jieyi Taifu Mountain

In order to preserve the strength of the Rebel Army, Xu Tangju voluntarily gave up Yuezhou and retreated to Langzhou. He decided to join forces with Wang Chongyin and make another plan. The rebels stopped all the way to Dongting Lake. Xu Tangjun ordered the volunteers to rest for a while, drink water to quench their thirst, and bury the pot to make rice. The volunteers drank the clear lake, ate, and cheered up. Xu Tangjun turned over his horse and ordered him to march south along the lake. At this time, Tanmalai reported: "General Xu, the leading troops met a group of strong men not far ahead, about five or 600 people, who did not let us pass, and said that they wanted us to stay to buy the road before they would let them go."

Xu Tang Ju was furious, held a square painting halberd, urged the horse to move forward, and soon arrived at the forefront of the team. At the three-way intersection not far away, there was a pout, a strong leader, with a face like the bottom of the pot, with round eyes, wearing an iron helmet, wearing bright silver armor with a tiger head, ** leopard flower horse, and a pair of tiger-headed double hooks. Behind him is a strong leader with a long face, like an falcon, wearing a bright silver flying dragon helmet, wearing six-in-one chain armor, ** silver mane horse, and a bright silver swallow wing. These two leaders took hundreds of soldiers to block the road and prevent the volunteers from passing through.

Xu Tangjun shouted at the brave, "Where did the strong thief come from? How dare you block my army!" The leader of the tiger's head and double hook patted immediately, raised his hand and shouted, "Be aware, leave the money to buy the road, and the uncle will let you go. If you say half a word, you will definitely turn over and complain!"

Xu Tangjun sneered and replied, "If you want to take our belongings, you have to ask the painting halberd in my hand whether to agree or not? Strong man, take your life!" Suddenly, the horse stood up and took the black-faced strong leader. The black man waved the double hook and fought with Xu Tang Ju. The halberd is like a wandering dragon, turning around the black man; the hook is like a tiger, flirting with Tang Ju and not relaxing. The two of them performed martial arts in their lives, fighting 50 or 60, regardless of victory or defeat. Seeing that Xu Tangju's martial arts skills were strong and without any flaws, the black man shook the hook, galloped out of the circle and shouted, "Don't rest! I have a word to ask."

Xu Tangju grabbed the horse's head and said, "Say, if you don't let us go, I will fight with you."

The black man shouted, "I don't know which mountain this good man came from? The means are so strong that I have never met an enemy in the area of Dongting Lake. Today, I met you as an opponent. Can a good man be famous?

Xu Tangjun laughed loudly: "Xu Tangjun, you black-faced man, your martial arts are also quite good. Double hooks make it convenient. I have never encountered double hooks that make it so good. What's your name?"

Hearing this, the black-faced man quickly got off his horse and bowed down and said, "The little man has eyes and doesn't know Mount Tai, and the water rushed to the Dragon King Temple. My name is Chang Hong, and my brother behind me is Wang Mei. I fell on the Taifu Mountain in Dongting Lake, robbed my house, and took some official wealth for my brothers and the people around me. I heard that General Xu crossed the Jianghuai River, eliminating harm for the people, and became famous. Just because the road is far away, I have never seen a general. Recently, when I heard that General Xu had conquered Yuezhou, Wang Mei and I discussed it and wanted to defect to the general. Unexpectedly, when he met General Xu's leading troops, he did not ask in detail. He thought it was the defeated Tang army. The two sides did not agree with their words, so they fought. I hope General Xu will forgive his forgiveness!"

At this time, Wang Mei also got off the horse and bowed to the ground. Xu Tangju quickly disased the horse, stepped forward to help the two of them, and said happily, "Tang Ju was helped by two strong men, like a tiger with wings. It's a shame that after Wang Chongyin and I captured Yuezhou, we didn't send heavy troops to guard it. Wang Chongyin led the main force to attack Langzhou, while Wu Yanhong led a large number of Tang troops to counterattack Yuezhou. Our army could not resist, so we had to withdraw from Yuezhou and go to Langzhou to meet Wang Chongyin. We didn't want to meet the two brothers here.

Wang Mei said, "General Xu, it is common for soldiers to win or lose. As long as we recruit troops and expand our strength, we will defeat Wu Yanhong. Go to Taifu Mountain. It's not too late to go to Langzhou after a few days off."

Xu Tangyu looked at the exhausted volunteers and felt that it was necessary to rest, so he agreed to Wang Mei's request and led this team of more than 1,000 people to Taifu Mountain. Taifu Mountain is in Dongting Lake, surrounded by water on all sides, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The volunteers followed Chang Hong and Wang Mei's men and horses by boat, but they saw the blue waves ripples and the spring breeze blowing on their faces, which was extremely comfortable. After seven turns and eight turns, it took a long time to reach the foot of Taifu Mountain. Chang Hong and Wang Mei led the way in front of them, followed Xu Tangji's people and horses and went to the cottage together. Chang Hong and Wang Mei ordered a banquet to entertain the volunteers. When everyone saw that the table was full of wine and meat, they devoured it like the wind and clouds, and quickly ate it all.

Chang Hong and Wang Mei specially entertained Xu Tangju with Dongting Lake specialty silver fish and arranged Xu Tangju to sit in the first place. Xu Tangju drank a few mouthfuls of fish soup and felt extremely delicious, so they asked, "Brothers, what's the name of this fish?" Chang Hong smiled and said, "General Xu, this is a specialty silver fish of Dongting Lake. It is nutritious, nourishes the intestines and stomach, and has a particularly good effect."

Wang Mei continued, "General Xu, Dongting Lake is thousands of miles away, and there are many delicious and interesting things. Xianglian grains are large and plump, white and round, with delicate texture, fresh and sweet, and rich in nutrition. We often eat them. In Junshan, there are silver needles to soak and eat. The color, fragrance, taste and shape are excellent. The bud head is strong and straight, the size is uniform, the white hair is complete and bright, and the color of the bud head is golden, so it is called silver needle, which enjoys the reputation of gold and jade. Soak it in a transparent glass with boiling water, and start to rush all the buds to the surface of the water, like ten thousand strokes of books; after drawing water, the buds of the buds slowly sink, and the young leaves of tea buds are slightly open, in the shape of ** bloom.

Xu Tangyu praised: "Dongting Lake is really a good place to eat delicacies and troops. It is a victorious place!"

Chang Hong said, "General Xu, we are predestined to meet here. My brother has a request, and I hope it will be completed."

Xu Tangjun replied, "Brother Changhong, but it's okay to say so."

Chang Hong had already drunk seven or eight points of wine at this time. He was slightly drunk. His face turned red, staggered up, bowed secondhand, and said, "General Xu, Wang Mei and I want to be brothers of the opposite sex with you, just like Liu Guan and Zhang Taoyuan, to fight for the world all their lives."

Xu Tangyu said cheerfully, "Two brothers, I also have this intention. Brothers are of the same mind, and their profits are broken. We happened to take advantage of the good spring to burn incense on the top of Taifu Mountain to worship the world. From now on, our three brothers will live and die together, take care of each other and work hard for the happiness of the world!"

Chang Hong and Wang Mei were overjoyed and immediately ordered Luo to slaughter a buffalo, cut off the cow's head, bring some wine and food, and lead Xu Tangju to the top of Taifu Mountain. The sky was high and the clouds were light, and a group of white storks swept across the sky, singing clearly and long. The sails on the lake are dotted, and the lake water ripples, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. Xu Tang Ju is the largest, Chang Hong is the second, and Wang Mei is the smallest. The three of them knelt on their knees and burn incense and worship. Xu Tangju swore: "Tang Ju and Chang Hong and Wang Mei are like-minded. Today, they are brothers of the opposite sex, accompanied by adversities, jointly assisting General Huang Chao, eliminating Li Tang, creating a peaceful and prosperous era, and benefiting the people. If there is a different heart, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed!" Chang Hong and Wang Mei made an oath with Xu Tangjun.

The three hands are tightly clenched on Taifu Mountain. This grip is high and the water is long, the waves are surging, and the pride bursts out.

Xu Tangju led his army to stop in Taifu Mountain for more than ten days in a flash. During this period, on the one hand, he trained soldiers with Chang Hong and Wang Mei, and on the other hand sent sent outshaos to spy intelligence on the front line from Yuezhou to Langzhou. One day, Xu Tangju's three brothers were gossiping in the cottage hall and visited Ma Feibao: "General Xu, General Wang Chongyin has attacked Langzhou many times. Hu Zhen and Gu Yanlang, the Tang generals of Langzhou, are almost unable to defend it. It is estimated that the city will be broken. General Wang Chongyin wants you to cooperate on the Eastern Front and resolutely block the Tang army reinforcements from Yuezhou to ensure the victory of the Langzhou Campaign.

"Good brother, you have worked hard. Go down and have a good rest." Xu Tangju said to Tan Ma. Tan Ma bowed and withdrew. Xu Tangju, Chang Hong and Wang Mei began to discuss the issue of blocking Yuezhou's direction towards the Tang army. Another Tan Ma came in and reported: "General Xu, the latest reconnaissance report, Wu Yanhong of Yuezhou sent 5,000 generals Gao Zhouyi and Pu Hui to lead 5,000 troops in the direction of Yuqi Mountain, preparing to aid Langzhou through Yuanjiang and Longyang to solve Langzhou. "The danger."

"Good luck! This time we will teach Wu Yanhong's troops a hard lesson and avenge the loss of Yuezhou!" Xu Tangju raised his thick eyebrows, strode outside the hall, looked at the direction of Langzhou, and said to Chang Hong and Wang Mei, who followed him, "Brothers, you are very familiar with the terrain in this area. In your opinion, where do we set up an ambush?"

Wang Mei said, "Not far to the west of the Yuan River, there is a place called Lishi Village, where the terrain is undulating and the river is vertical and horizontal. Close to Lishi Village, there is an island called Chishan Island, surrounded by water, with undulating mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack. This Lishi village is said to be the place where Fan Li and Xi Shi lived in seclusion in the spring and autumn, with beautiful scenery. It is a natural ambush site, where I think it can ambush and attack the enemy of Yuezhou's west reinforcement.

Xu Tangju nodded: "What the Wang Mei brothers said was very true. They secretly set up an ambush in the area of Lishi Village and pulled out all the people who could participate in the war. This time, they must annihilate all the 5,000 Tang troops, and then join forces with Wang Chongyin to attack Langzhou. After taking Langzhou, our army can get a lot of military supplies, further expand its strength, and gain a foothold in the Dongting Lake area for a great cause.

Chang Hong said, "Wang Mei and I can send 1,000 brothers in Taifu Mountain, and the remaining two or three hundred people are responsible for guarding the mountain."

Xu Tangju patted Chang Hong on the shoulder and said excitedly, "Good brother, you and Wang Mei each took 500 people and ambushed on the second side of Lishi Village. After the Tang army entered the ambush circle, they suddenly came out. I led more than a thousand people to cut off the return road of the Tang army from behind, attacked the enemy's main generals, compressed the defeated enemy to the lake, and then surrendered.

Chang Hong and Wang Mei said loudly, "Brother, don't worry, I promise to complete the task!"

Xu Tangju waved his hand vibly and shouted, "Don't be late, act now!"

Gao Zhouyi and Pu Hui led 5,000 people to leave Yuezhou, passed Yuqi Mountain, and the journey was unimpeded, and the second generals became more and more arrogant. Pu Hui said, "Before we went, Wu Yanhong repeatedly stressed that we should pay attention to the sneak attack of the bandits. Now it seems that it is completely unnecessary. Our army's banner pointed to the west, and we can reach the city of Langzhou in a few days, which will hit Wang Chongyin hard.

Gao Zhouyi laughed and said, "The grass thief dares to run to the Dongting Lake area to make trouble. That's a way to kill ourselves. No wonder."

Pu Hui listened and became more complacent. He volunteered to say, "General Gao, I lead 2,500 people as the front army, and you lead 2,500 people as the rear army. Move forward at full speed and rush to the Yuanjiang camp before night. What do you think?"

Gao Zhou Yi agreed to Pu Hui's march plan, and Pu Hui then led half of the people to accelerate to the Yuan River. Gao Zhou Yi had a longer mind than Pu Hui, slowed down the march, and maintained a certain distance from Pu Hui's front team, about three or five miles away.

Night was coming, and Tang Bing had traveled a long journey, hungry and thirsty. At this time, Tang Bing had already entered the area of Lishi Village. Pu Hui saw that the mountains and rivers were vertical and the terrain was complex, so he ordered his subordinates to stop, bury the pot to make rice, and rest for a night before leaving.

At this time, the sound of the golden drum was loud, and the arrows on both sides of the Tang army were like flying locusts. Then Chang Hong and Wang Mei's two ambush suddenly came out, and Tang Bing suddenly became a mess. Pu Hui was shocked and quickly turned over his horse and picked up the crescent axe to meet the two-way ambush.