OBS Chapter 1236 Victory in the first battle
Chapter 1236 Victory in the first battle
Chapter 1236 Victory in the first battle
In the main room of the front yard, the sound of Bai Jiaxuan getting dressed and sitting up startled Xiancao. Bai Ling twisted restlessly in her arms. Xiancao patted her daughter gently and heard Lu San knocking hurriedly on the door from outside.
"Jiaxuan! Something big happened in Wangjiazhuang!"
The oil lamp lit up with a "puff". In the dim light, Bai Jiaxuan could clearly see the blackmail letter in Gou Wa's hand.
Written crookedly on the rough straw paper were the words: "Within three days, three thousand dollars and one thousand kilograms of grain will be delivered to Heishui Cliff. If you dare to report to the authorities, we will string the children together into candied haws!"
There are bloody handprints of several children at the signature.
"Damn beast!" Bai Jiaxuan slammed his fist on the elm table, causing the tea bowls to clink.
Xiancao hurriedly covered Bai Ling's ears, but saw his daughter opening her eyes like black grapes and giggling at her father.
The bronze bell in the ancestral hall rang at midnight, startling a tree of crows.
Villagers came from all directions holding lanterns, and the flames formed a long twisting dragon.
Gou Wa cried as he narrated what had happened.
The villagers were very sympathetic to Wangjiazhuang’s plight. No matter when, children represent hope and are also the Achilles’ heel of their parents.
The soldiers in the regiment were all eager to go. They had been training for a month and had been supported by everyone for nothing. Now they finally had the chance to show their skills.
Heiwa was sharpening his knife, and approached Qin Hao, whispering, "Brother Hao, these bandits are such bastards, shall we kill them?"
Qin Hao shook his head at him: "Don't be impatient, let's see what everyone says."
The regiment has only been trained for a month, and its combat effectiveness is far from being formed. Facing a group of unknown bandits, there will inevitably be casualties. This regiment is composed of not only captured men but also young and strong laborers in the village. The loss of even one will affect morale.
And the most important thing is - they have no reason to do so. When they were recruiting the militia, they clearly stated that they were there to protect Bailu Village. Why would they fight the bandits for Wangjiazhuang?
Bai Jiaxuan was about to say something when Lu Taiheng pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Jiaxuan, I think we should not get too involved in this matter. After all, the bandits still have so many hostages. Since Wangjiazhuang is willing to pay to redeem the people, we can just help out and give some advice."
They were all smart people. Bai Jiaxuan naturally understood that Lu Taiheng wanted him not to mobilize the brave men. He discussed it with the other elders, and they basically agreed with him. After all, they didn't feel any pain because the stick didn't hit them.
Bai Jiaxuan had no choice but to agree, and turned to Gou Wa and said, "You stay in the village for one night, and I will go back to Wangjiazhuang with you tomorrow morning."
"The villagers are still waiting for my letter in the ancestral hall. I have to go back."
Gou Wa rejected Bai Jiaxuan's kindness and disappeared into the night with his tired body.
……
The next morning, just after daybreak, Bai Jiaxuan asked Lu San to harness the carriage and prepare to go to Wangjiazhuang.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and plants. Bai Jiaxuan stood at the gate of the courtyard, his brows furrowed, and the pipe in his hand turned a few times between his fingers, and finally he put it on his waist.
"Jiaxuan, be careful on the road." Xiancao stood at the door holding Bai Ling, her eyes full of worry.
Bai Jiaxuan nodded and was about to get in the car when he saw Qin Hao and Heiwa walking towards him. Heiwa had a short knife on his waist and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and it was obvious that he had already made preparations.
"Da, we'll go with you." Qin Hao said.
Bai Jiaxuan frowned: "We are just going to Wangjiazhuang to check the situation. We don't need so many people."
Qin Hao shook his head and said in a low voice: "Those bandits even kidnapped children. Who knows if they will attack you? More people means more care."
Bai Jiaxuan wanted to refuse, but seeing Qin Hao's determined expression and thinking of the news Gou Wa brought yesterday, his heart sank. He sighed, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, get in the car."
The carriage slowly drove out of Bailu Village, and the wheels rolled over the loess road, making a dull sound. Heiwa sat on the shaft of the carriage, looking around vigilantly, as if bandits would jump out of the bushes beside the road at any time. Qin Hao closed his eyes and tapped his knees lightly with his fingers, as if he was thinking about something.
About an hour later, the carriage arrived at Wangjiazhuang. Several villagers in coarse cloth were squatting on the ground smoking pipes. When they saw the carriage coming, they all looked up. Gou Wa ran out from the crowd, his face full of fatigue and anxiety.
"Chief Bai, you are finally here!" Gou Wa's voice was hoarse and his eyes were bloodshot.
Bai Jiaxuan jumped off the carriage and patted him on the shoulder: "Take me to see your clan leader."
The ancestral hall in Wangjiazhuang was much simpler than the one in Bailu Village, with mottled blue bricks and broken tiles on the roof. The ancestral hall was packed with people, men, women, young and old, with cries and curses intertwined. The head of the Wang clan was a thin old man with white hair and beard, sitting on the armchair, holding a letter in his trembling hands.
Seeing Bai Jiaxuan coming in, Patriarch Wang staggered to his feet, grabbed his hand, and burst into tears: "Jiaxuan, these damn bandits didn't even let children go! My little grandson is only six years old..."
Bai Jiaxuan's heart tightened, and he said in a deep voice: "Da, don't worry, if there is anything I can help you with, just let me know."
As they were talking, there was a sudden commotion outside the ancestral hall.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Several villagers rushed in carrying a door panel. On the door panel lay a man covered in blood. There was a knife wound on his chest so deep that the bone was visible. His coarse cloth clothes were soaked with blood.
"Erniu!" Gou Wa pounced on him, his voice tearing.
The man was barely breathing and raised his hand with difficulty: "Chief... the bandits said... if we can't gather enough money within three days... not only will the child die... but they will also massacre Wangjiazhuang... and rob everything... and rob everything valuable..."
The ancestral hall was instantly in an uproar.
"Fight them!" a strong man picked up a hoe and roared.
"Yes! Let's fight! The worst that can happen is that both of us will die!" Everyone echoed, feeling excited.
Patriarch Wang slammed the table and shouted hoarsely, "Fight with all your strength? With what? A hoe or a sickle? They have guns in their hands! One shot can take your lives!"
Everyone was speechless and bowed their heads in despair. An atmosphere of despair enveloped the ancestral hall.
Bai Jiaxuan subconsciously looked at Qin Hao, with mixed feelings in his heart. If his son had not prepared for this, would he be as helpless as Patriarch Wang if this happened in Bailu Village?
Qin Hao noticed his father's gaze, moved behind him, and lowered his voice and said, "Da, ask Patriarch Wang if they are willing to give the three thousand dollars and one thousand kilograms of food as a thank you if someone can help them rescue their child and kill the bandits."
Bai Jiaxuan's pipe trembled, and he frowned and said, "You saw the attitude of the villagers last night. They won't agree."
Qin Hao shook his head, a shrewd look flashing in his eyes: "Everyone disagreed last night because there was no benefit. Now that we have three thousand dollars and a thousand kilograms of grain, it's different. Besides, don't be so definite, just say that you will discuss it with the villagers first."
Bai Jiaxuan pondered for a moment, felt that his son was right, and turned to repeat it to Patriarch Wang.
When Chief Wang heard this, a ray of hope suddenly shone in his cloudy eyes. He stood up tremblingly and swore to the heavens, "Whoever can save the children and kill the bandits will be rewarded with 5,000 yuan, not to mention 3,000 yuan! Even if it's only 5,000 yuan, Wangjiazhuang will sell everything it has to raise the money!"
The villagers in the ancestral hall echoed one after another, as if they had grasped the last straw.
After returning to Bailu Village, Bai Jiaxuan rang the ancestral hall bell again and summoned the villagers to discuss matters.
Bai Jiaxuan stood in front of the ancestral tablet and told the story of Wangjiazhuang and Qin Hao's proposal. As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers' eyes lit up.
"Three thousand dollars? One thousand kilograms of grain?" Bai Xing'er rubbed his hands and grinned, "This is a good deal!"
"That's right! Our regiment's soldiers have been training for so long, it's time to get them out for some practice!" Someone rubbed his hands together.
Lu Taiheng discussed with several elders in a low voice for a while, then turned his gaze to Qin Hao and asked tentatively: "Hao'er, if you bring the regiment warriors with you, how confident are you that you can wipe out those bandits?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Qin Hao. The sunlight shone on his tall and straight figure, making it look even more majestic.
Qin Hao pondered and said, "It's hard to say now. The main reason is that we haven't seen the bandits. We don't know how many people there are, what weapons they have, and how strong they are. We don't know anything and can't judge."
Suddenly, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured on the villagers' heads, and the excitement they had just felt disappeared.
Lu Taiheng exchanged glances with several elders and said unhappily, "According to what you said, if this happened in our village, you would have no solution?"
The villagers cast unfriendly looks at Qin Hao. After all, they had spent real money to support Tuan Yong for more than a month, so they were naturally dissatisfied with this answer.
Qin Hao said calmly, "As the saying goes, you raise an army for a thousand days but deploy it only for a day. If those bandits are coming for our village, we will never let them succeed, even if we fight to the last man!"
The villagers' expressions finally eased.
In fact, when in Wangjiazhuang, Qin Hao got some information about the bandits from the injured Erniu.
There are only a dozen or so bandits in this group, half of them have guns and half of them are using cold weapons, so their fighting power is not that strong.
The reason why Qin Hao said this was mainly because swords and knives have no eyes, and a stray bullet on the battlefield could kill the commander, not to mention a group of regiment soldiers who had just completed a month of training. The combat effectiveness of these regiment soldiers is not even that of militia, and if a fight really breaks out, there will inevitably be casualties.
The villagers were discussing the matter, and Lu Taiheng and several elders also expressed their opinions. Seeing this, Bai Jiaxuan said, "Since everyone disagrees, let's follow the old rules. Those who support sending troops stand in one line, and those who oppose stand in another line. The decision will be made based on the number of people."
Soon, the villagers were divided into two teams. Those who opposed were basically elderly people, while those who supported sending troops were all young and middle-aged people, especially the thirty regiment warriors, all of whom stood in the support line. After training for so long, they finally had a chance to test the results through actual combat, so how could they let it go.
The voting results were obvious, with more than fifty people supporting sending troops.
Qin Hao gave the order: "Assemble! Set off!"
Thirty regiment warriors quickly gathered together. They were all young faces. Although their clothes were different and some were tattered, each of them held a Hanyang-made pistol, and they still looked quite mighty.
In the darkness of night, the team quietly left Bailu Village and headed towards Wangjiazhuang. The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the loess road, reflecting a series of firm footprints.
At three o'clock in the morning, the team arrived at a hill near Wangjiazhuang. Qin Hao signaled everyone to stop and began to set up the camp.
"Brother Hao, why don't we go directly into the village?" Heiwa came over, his dark face full of confusion.
Qin Hao took out the water bag from his waist and took a sip: "There must be bandits' spies in Wangjiazhuang now. If you rush into the village rashly, you will not only fail to save people, but will also alert the enemy."
He squatted down and drew a simple map on the ground with a branch: "We must first find these spies and follow the clues to find the bandits' lair."
Heiwa suddenly understood and a gleam of admiration flashed in his eyes.
According to Qin Hao's deployment, the regiment's soldiers were divided into four groups and quietly ambushed at various exits of Wangjiazhuang.
Just as Qin Hao expected, after nightfall, a furtive figure came out from the west exit of Wangjiazhuang and stuffed something under a crooked tree. In the second half of the night, someone passed by on horseback, groped under the tree for a while, and then rode north.
After receiving the news, Qin Hao immediately called the group's brave men. With the help of moonlight, they followed the marks left by the sentry and came to a small hill fifty miles away from Wangjiazhuang.
"It's right there." Heiwa pointed at the faint firelight on the mountainside.
Qin Hao narrowed his eyes and observed the terrain: steep slopes on three sides, with only a narrow path leading to the top of the mountain. Several dark shadows were wandering around the fire, obviously the bandits on guard.
"Deal with the sentry first, Heiwa, follow me."
There was no fear in Heiwa's eyes. Instead, he was filled with excitement. He had finally waited for this day.
Under the cover of night, Qin Hao personally led the team and quietly eliminated several bandits who were on the alert. A subdued bandit was so scared that he trembled all over, and under Qin Hao's intimidation, he obediently led them into the cave where the child was imprisoned.
In the cave, a dozen children huddled in a corner, and two bandits were taking a nap against the wall. Qin Hao rushed forward and killed one of them with a knife. As soon as the other one opened his eyes, Heiwa covered his mouth and stabbed him in the heart.
"Hide here and don't move. We are from Bailu Village, not far from your Wangjiazhuang. We are here to rescue you."
After comforting the children, Qin Hao came outside the cave and fired three shots into the sky.
"Bang! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of gunfire echoed in the valley. The regiment warriors who had been lying in ambush for a long time heard the signal and immediately rushed in from all directions. Torches lit up like stars, and the shouts of killing shook the earth.
The bandits were awakened from their sleep and saw people everywhere in the mountains, and they immediately became confused.
Some people ran down the mountain in panic, some tried to resist with weapons, but in the end they were all killed by bullets.
When the sky turned pale, the soldiers had already started to clean up the battlefield. After Heiwa's statistics, the result was pretty good. Only five soldiers on the side of the soldiers were slightly injured. The only one with a serious injury was the one who was too involved in the pursuit and fell down the hillside and broke his leg.
Only six out of the dozen bandits survived in the end. Except for those killed by Qin Hao and Heiwa, few of the others were killed in a head-on confrontation with Tuan Yong. Many of them were shot after falling and getting injured while escaping in a panic.
The sun rose in the east, and the morning sunlight shone on the soldiers who were cleaning the battlefield. Some of them were retching from the smell of blood on the battlefield, while others looked at the bodies of the bandits on the ground with fear.
Qin Hao was quite satisfied with the results of this battle. A powerful troop could not be created by training alone. It had to go through the test of blood and fire in order to grow.
The children's sobbing brought Qin Hao back to his senses.
"Take the children and go back to Wangjiazhuang!"