Lu Ming

Sure enough, as soon as Mao Xiucai finished speaking, most of the people around him had smiles mixed with excitement and cruelty.

The next moment, a stocky, black-faced man asked everyone's aspirations: "How is that private port prepared?"

This man's name is Niu Jinluo, and he is the leader of the Chaohu gang who is currently the most powerful among the three groups of lake bandits.

Chaohu is in Jiangbei, so the members of the Chaohu Gang are naturally from Jiangbei.Most of these people are bankrupt and unemployed schooners on the canal, Cao Ding, and by the way, refugees and bandits who came to Jiangbei to make a living. The Chaohu Gang has always been one of the large forces in Taihu Lake.

Hearing the question from the boss of the Chaohu Gang, Mao Yi nodded, then took out a roll of maps from his sleeve, spread them out on the dusty Buddhist altar, and introduced the defense of Shanghai Port to the group of robbers in detail: "Now all warehouses They are all empty, and there are not many people left in the shops in the Outer Harbor, so you only need to go straight to Huanglong when the time comes."

"The Port Office is just next to the pier. It is a unique two-story stone building. It is very conspicuous and can be seen from a long distance. There is only a low wall around the compound, which is less than five feet (1 meters) high. It's the children who have turned over."

"There are 50 servants in Xiongdao, all of them are holding bird guns. Everyone here needs to be careful, the bird gun can fire a shot of medicine within ten breaths, and the range is three to four hundred steps. It is very powerful. !"

"Be careful with poisonous smoke and firecrackers. I don't know what kind of herbs are mixed in it. It's very overbearing. Those who suffer from runny nose can't see. You need to cover your face with wet wipes to relieve it."

"Besides that, there are about 50 copywriter tents, and they rest in these low courtyards at night."

"There are about 500 civilian husbands, all of whom spend the night in warehouses far away, so there is no need for this generation to take care of them."

"There is only one thing you need to keep in mind: that Xiong Dao's life must not be changed. This man has a bun, which is different from the short hair under his hands, so he is very recognizable."

"After you catch him, please return to Taihu Lake respectfully, and wait for me to discuss important matters with him."

Chapter 403: The Attacking Lake Bandits

After listening to Mao Xiucai's analysis of the battle situation, everyone present became more and more excited: To put it bluntly in the whole port, only the two-story stone building is the hard bone, and the rest of the area need not be concerned.This is an easy and reckless thing for the bandits who have the advantages of numbers and sneak attacks.

At this moment, Niu Jinluo of the Chaohu Gang gestured on the picture with his finger a few times, then turned his head and asked a red-faced middle-aged man beside him, "What do you think, Master Qiao?"

Qiao Shiqiu, the "abandoned son" of the Qiao family in Huqiu, is the leader of the Water and Fire Gang formed by the natives of Taihu Lake.

After hearing Niu Jinluo's question, Qiao Shiqi did not answer directly, but turned his head to the person behind him and said, "Old Wu, come ahead and tell the shopkeepers."

Following Qiao Shiqi's words, an old man in his forties with a bearded face squeezed to the front of the stage.

This person is an old friend of the time traveler, his name is Wu Meng, and people called him Third Master Wu back then.The commercial area outside the port that everyone saw on the picture today was the territory of the third master before.

Later, after the third master was forced to demolish by Mr. Xiong, he who wanted to be a nail household was beaten so badly that he was about to die in minutes; so the third master ran away to Taihu Lake with his brothers, and now he is a small leader in the water and fire gang.

Standing before and after the stage, the third master of the scene first made a bow, and then began to point to the map, adding some details of the port to everyone.For example, the specific location of the river pier, the best route to cross the commercial area, for example, there is a back door on the courtyard wall of the Port Authority, so the entire courtyard wall should be surrounded immediately, etc...

Mr. Wu, who has always dreamed of his hometown, is probably the aboriginal Ming who has been most concerned about the development of Shanghai Port.From the fact that he told the inside story of the port in detail, it can be seen that the third master probably planted more than one spies in the port.

At the end, the third master also solemnly pointed out a key part of Mao Xiucai's arrangement just now: the poisonous smoke and firecrackers thrown by the port guards, just covering the mouth, ears and nose is of no use.As long as they stay in the smoke for a little longer, the victims will still have tears in their eyes, can't see things, cough wantonly, and let others slaughter them.

After listening to the third master's supplementary tactics, Qiao Shiqi, the boss of the Water and Fire Gang, looked around triumphantly, and then said with a smile: "To tell the truth, the port is already in the hands of the Water and Fire Gang. But this time, since the masters have spoken, I will show you guys to play, but there is one thing, the money will be divided afterwards, and the Water and Fire Gang will take [-]% more!"

As soon as Qiao Shiqi finished speaking, the short and sturdy Niu Jinluo laughed loudly: "Open your mouth for money, shut your mouth for money, how much money is there in the Port Office, are you afraid that you are careless?"

Hearing Niu Jinluo's provocative words, Qiao Shiqi was not angry: the Chaohu Gang and the Water and Fire Gang have been old enemies for many years, and the two sides have been angry with each other and caused countless stumbling blocks on weekdays, so it is not because of these few words.So Qiao Shiqi asked back: "Mao Xiucai just said, 40 taels of silver, could it be possible for you to change it?"

"Hoho, if you can't say it, just change it." Niu Jinluo raised his arms at this moment, slapped twice, and then signaled the people behind him to make way.

An old man squeezed in.The age of this person is unclear, about four to fifty years old, with grooves on his face, calluses on his hands, black skin and gray hair, tattered clothes all over his body, walking loosely and straddling his face, full of sorrow, with a perennial look It looks like a coolie who is carrying a job.

However, there were quite a few people present who knew this old man: the manager of the grain platform of the Chaohu gang, the most senior generation among the lake bandits, and a veteran thief Zhong Siqian.

After the bell and four coins entered the venue, he raised his hand and made a sign of six without any nonsense, "In the past few days, the port office has shipped all the goods, and merchants from all over the country have stuffed no less than 65 taels of silver into the cellar. Except for the 60 taels taken away by the Clippers the day before yesterday, before I came back yesterday, the amount of silver was still [-] taels!"

When Zhong Siqian said this, his face like an old farmer had long since turned into the standard expression of a vicious bandit: "I have been doing groceries in the yard of the Port Office these days, and even a tael of silver can never escape my tricks... ...60 taels is a lot, all of which are large ingots of snowflake silver, the port office thinks it's troublesome, and doesn't even accept broken silver, which is convenient for me to keep accounts!"

"Hiss..." Following Zhong Siqian's categorical words, there was a sudden gasp from the field, not to mention the little boss, even the big shopkeeper's eyes began to burst into flames of greed.

At this moment, Niu Jinluo let out a long, sad laugh: "Don't think that your family is the only one watching over that port. The boundary of gold mountains and silver waters, I can't treat you as my father and I are blind? Then what's the extra [-]%?" Nonsense, never mention it again!"

Having said that, Niu Jinluo took out a hard box of Yellow Crane Tower from his bosom, took out two sticks and gave them four cents apiece, then swiped his Zippo and began to smoke triumphantly.

The scene fell into embarrassment for a while.

With a sound of "bow", a folding fan with a picture of Xiangfei bamboo was slapped heavily on the Buddhist altar: "Bastard! What time is it, and everyone is still here to make a show of Qiao, really think that the masters can't handle you?"

It was an old man beside Mao Xiucai who was yelling at him.This old man has a short stature, a round face, round eyes and a round nose, looking quite festive.This person was wearing a soft-footed fringe and a blue robe like Mao Xiucai, so it seemed that he was born as a scholar.

This old scholar's surname is Shi, and he is called Shi Weng.This gentleman has a high seniority among the lake bandits, and is a sit-down tiger among the older generation who is responsible for collecting and selling stolen goods, acting as a middleman, and collecting and distributing meat tickets.

Later, when Shi Weng got old, he began to reduce his business, gradually moved away from the Jianghu, and began to take the top-level route, becoming the white gloves of some gentry and high-end brokers.

Today, Shi Weng, who hadn't asked about Jianghu affairs for a long time, was sent here, which shows the importance of the surprise attack on the port.

The old scholar at the moment, with a round face full of viciousness, looked funny and weird: "You bastards, listen to me: this ticket sale today is related to the big picture, and it's all about the threshold Even the masters behind you must obey orders!"

When the old scholar said this, he looked at Qiao Shiqi fiercely: "Why, don't you want to live in Huqiu and Qiao's family? Believe it or not, you will be punished for the crime of gangsters tomorrow, and the whole family will be executed!?"

When Qiao Shiqi heard this, his face turned red. Not long after, he still turned his face in front of the short old man, not daring to look at him again.

"Hmph, Yu Chaofeng from Guangfu Town, Ma Squire from Zhenhu Town, Du Huhu from Xiangshan Mountain, um, and Qiao's family from Huqiu. Don't think that the adults don't know, but they are just a bunch of local snakes who eat stolen goods and gangsters. In my eyes, they are all chickens and dogs, who can be crushed to death with a finger!"

"Put your ears up and listen to me. In this business, if anyone disregards the overall situation and thinks something bad, the adults will get angry, but they will be uprooted - first they will copy the stolen goods behind you, and then they will be wanted in black and white. , let you wait for everyone to die in the pond mud!"

... After swearing, the big and small bosses suddenly fell silent. Wherever the old scholar's eyes went, all of them lost their viciousness. They all lowered their heads to avoid the fierce gaze, and said in their mouths: "I also ask Shi Weng to be the master, we will wait for you!" Nothing else."

After seeing the situation suppressed, the old scholar known as Shi Weng calmed down a bit and began to assign tasks: "Since Wu San is familiar with the inside information, then Seventeen has the final say this time. But the dividends must follow the old rules. Come—the three of you will share [-]% equally, and the rest of you will share [-]% together! Which one has something to say?"

The gangsters had no objection at this moment, and suddenly agreed.

And Qiao Shiqi, who had just been appointed as the commander-in-chief, also began to issue orders: "The guards have fast guns and poisonous smoke guns in their hands. As a result, the brothers have to fight slowly at night. The port building and the opponent are fighting for their lives without any delay."

Looking around and seeing that everyone nodded in agreement with this strategy, Qiao Shiqi continued in a deep voice: "In this battle, only the elite who dare to charge and fight will be needed, and the rest of the bastards who are in harmony with each other should not be brought along. In my opinion , a total of 800 people will come out, the three big gangs will give [-] people, and the remaining [-] people will be divided among your gangs."

"Before tomorrow evening, the leaders of each gang will bring together their elites to meet up in the three mountains, and we will set off after dark."

"Good talk!"

"That's it!"

"Brother, I'll go back and pick someone!"

After Qiao Shiqi was assigned, the leaders of each gang nodded in agreement, and then they dispersed and went back to make their own preparations.

At this moment, Shi Weng's cold voice came from behind the group again: "No internal strife, those who refuse to obey orders, will plant lotus together after returning."

……

In the evening of the next day, the ten big Upons gathered on Sanshan Island on time, and then set off one by one.

Now it is the 17th century, the entire Jiangnan area is densely covered with water networks, and various large and small lakes have not been filled to form residential areas. Therefore, there are countless waterways for ten boats to travel from Taihu Lake to Huangpu River.

After the fleet left Taihu Lake, they followed the Xujiang River all the way to Shihu Lake.

After arriving at Stone Lake, several small boats that had been waiting here early surrounded them.These small boats are all guide boats sent by the Land Deed Alliance, and there are guides with name cards waiting on them.

At this time, in order to narrow the target, the fleet was divided into two and went their separate ways.One of the teams took the northern route from Duxie Lake to Wusong River, while the other team traveled the southern route from Dianshan Lake to Huangpu River.

The inland river in winter is turbulent, and the two fleets sailed steadily overnight under the driving of these lake bandits for many years.In the morning of the second day, the fleet crossed the main channel of the Huangpu River, bypassed Lujiazui, entered the famous Yang Pidgin River Channel in later generations, and sailed all the way to Shanghai Port, which is located along the coast of Gaoqiao Town in later generations.

The fleet in the middle turned around in half and half, and in the afternoon, the fleet finally moored in a small lake more than 20 miles away from the port.

This small lake surrounded by reeds is the private property of a nearby Zhuangzi.As for the owner of Zhuangzi, it goes without saying that it is a certain gentleman.

Soon after the fleet stopped, several small boats arrived in turn, carrying ready-made meals, including pigs and sheep, which were not only rich but also full.

At this time, a large number of lake bandits got out of the cabin to eat and breathe.And the leaders kept patrolling with their cronies, suppressing these rebellious subordinates—no noise, no drinking, no leaving the ship, only sleeping.

At the same time, every half an hour, spies ambushed around the port would come to report the enemy's situation: everything is normal, the guards in the port are very lax, and they are wandering in twos and threes.

After the brigade had rested by the lake, night came.

Chapter 404 Mage and Knight

Just when it was getting dark, the port authority compound closed the gate on time as usual.

Due to the frequent parking of many vehicles, the courtyard of the Port Authority occupies a large area, almost half the size of a football field.

And at the first moment when the gate was closed, many guards rushed out of the stone building where there seemed to be few people before, and began to make pre-war arrangements.

They first cleaned up the debris in the courtyard, and then lifted out many bundles of special obstacles from the basement, and after opening them, they formed two concentric circles around the stone building.In this way, no matter from which angle the robber climbs over the wall and enters the courtyard, he will be blocked by obstacles within ten steps and become a living target.

Before this, with the help of binoculars, night vision goggles and walkie-talkies, the spies sent by the hostile parties had already been monitored by Xiongdao's side, and the other party was still ignorant and unaware.

What the shopkeepers from Taihu Lake don’t know is that the several 10 taels of snowflake ingots they have been thinking about are actually being transferred on the night of storage.

After the silver was moved to the small fishing boats in the port, it was sent to Hangzhou one after another in the past few days, and it is now lying in the basement of Tangzhuang.

Instead, there are obstacles brought by fishing boats from Tangzhuang.These things have been spread in the yard now, just waiting for the shopkeepers to come and make a fuss.

While the guards were preparing, the sky had completely darkened.Tonight, the moonlight is bright, the breeze is blowing, and the sky is full of stars, reflecting all the roads around the port. It is a good day for murder and arson.

With the sound of leather shoes rattling, the owner of the port, Xiong Dao, was also wearing a special police uniform at this time, with an AK hanging on his shoulder, and led the reinforcements to the top of the building.

How could the Hangzhou station ignore such a big move?So following closely behind Xiong Dao was Lu Cheng, the head of the Jiangnan Intelligence Station.

The chubby Lu Cheng was also fully clothed at the moment, and behind him was a group of action players who had been reinforced from Hangzhou.

Of course, the reinforcements are more than that.The water system from Taihu Lake to the port extends in all directions, and there are also thousands of waterways from Hangzhou to the port. Therefore, the 150 action members brought by Lu Cheng actually sneaked into the port late at night the day before yesterday.

These players were divided into two parts.Most of them were lurking in the warehouses that had been evacuated, and a small number of them sneaked into the port office until tonight.

At this moment, on the roof of the stone building, the team members have built sandbags along the outer edge.The roof paved with reinforced concrete not only has sufficient structural strength, but also the flat terrain and observation advantages are also very suitable for setting up firepower points.

In addition to the twenty breech-loading guns on the roof, the two AKs are the real firepower.These two town houses are used by two intelligence agents, Liu Qingyun and Gu Tianle, who are relatively high in status.

"It seems that Comrade 'Test Tube''s information is very accurate. The Lake Bandits are going to attack tonight, and their fleet has already moved this way just now." After hearing the surveillance post report from the walkie-talkie in his hand, Xiong Dao turned his head to face Lu Cheng said.

At this time, Lu Cheng watched the team members on the roof busy, and replied with a smile: "Hehe, the innate identity of the 'test tube' is there, so the information is of course accurate."

"Well, since it's effective, we can consider letting the 'test tube' hold high the banner of anti-Qi, gather reactionary gentry, and pretend to be for a long time."

"There's no need to pretend, just perform in your true colors!"

When Lu Cheng said this, the two laughed tacitly.

At this moment, Liu Wang, who was wearing a training uniform with a short-brimmed hat and an AK on his back, was standing straight beside the two stationmasters. You can kill those masters who eat people and don't spit out their bones secretly, so why bother to mobilize so many people?"

"Haha, yes, the most important thing for young people is to learn to think!"

Lu Cheng patted the shoulder of the apprentice he had single-handedly brought out with relief, and then set up a dragon gate formation for him: "Assassination is just a tactic, not a strategy. In a large-scale confrontation between two groups, two camps, and two countries Among them, large-scale assassinations are pointless."

"You have also been studying culture for a long time, and your grades are not bad. So throughout the ages, Qin, Han, Tang and Song Dynasties, have you ever seen any power that won the world by assassinating its opponents?"

"Assassinate Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang will come out to inherit the family business. Even if you assassinate Mr. Zhang's family, there will still be people from all walks of life who will jump out and become new gentry—as long as this model of making a fortune by sucking blood from the land still exists, Then Lord Jishen will be produced continuously."

When Lu Cheng said this, Xiong Dao laughed and interjected: "Boy, if you assassinated a large number of hostile gentry, wouldn't that be a clear murder? What's the difference between this and open rebellion? Look at us now. Can a few guns raise the anti-flag?"

"The idea is a bit simple. You have to know that assassination will only make the people fear you and hate you, and will not make the people truly submit to you." Lu Cheng continued: "To seize the power of Daming's scale, you must let When everyone sees your positive strength, you have to convince everyone."

At this time, Xiong Dao smiled strangely and inserted a slang word that young people could not understand: "Mages are fearful, knights are awesome!"

Lu Cheng laughed, and continued to say to his disciples: "You see, isn't that what the Tartars in the north are doing? From the time when thirteen sets of armor set out to break up the spirit of Daming through bloody battles, now the Tartars are in Rumors have gradually spread in the Ming Dynasty that they are 'invincible'."

"What does this mean? It means that Daming's backbone has been broken! The entire upper class is losing confidence in resisting the Tartars. Hehe, if we hadn't appeared, the Tartars would definitely be able to rule the world in the future. This is the right way to seize the country."

Lu Cheng felt that he had given too much indoctrination to this native apprentice today, so he began the final summary: "You have to remember, there is no fighting on the battlefield, no continuous bloody battles, and no bottom-up changes that completely detonate old contradictions. unstable."

At the end, after rewarding Liu Wang with a "washing hair", Lu Cheng assigned homework to his apprentice, "After returning home, read the history of Jin and Sui Dynasty carefully, and then write the reading notes for me!"

……

While some people were talking loudly, the Lake Bandits fleet started from more than 20 miles away and was driving steadily in the river.The bright moonlight and stars tonight provided the best marching conditions for the lake bandits who were good at sailing at night, so the silent fleet did not encounter any twists and turns along the way. After sailing slowly for more than four hours, the fleet Finally arrived at the destination: the river pier in the outer business district of the port.

Due to the large amount of work before this, the idea of ​​widening and dredging the inland river connecting the port to form a river-river transport can only stay on paper for the time being.

In this way, the goods unloaded from the Yangtze River Estuary to Shanghai Port must go through a transit before being dispersed to the current river wharf, and then transported to various places in the south of the Yangtze River by countless inland river boats.

The fleet of lake bandits is now quietly parked at the original Zhangsu beach, outside the current business district.

Before this, because the port had sold out its inventory, and the port authority had intentionally or unintentionally used some excuses such as "renovation and overhaul", the business district had gradually emptied out in the past few days, leaving only an empty city.

Objectively, this action is tantamount to helping the Lake Bandits: the fleet can anchor directly at the river wharf, and after disembarking a large force, they can pass through the commercial area and pounce on the Port Authority without having to worry about reporting the news. up.

And that's exactly what the Lake Bandits did.

After the fleet docked, several shopkeepers and cronies carrying knives and axes jumped off the ship first.At this time, the spies from the commercial area also came to report: "Everyone, there is no one in the store, and there is no oil and water. The merchants have gone back to sell their goods."

"Okay! Let the brothers disembark, don't say anything!" The commander-in-chief Qiao Shiqi nodded in satisfaction at this time, beckoning to help everyone disembark.

The lake bandits selected to participate in the operation this time are all elites from various gangs.So when it was time to take action, these old gangsters immediately showed their professionalism: after 800 people turned over from the side of the ship, they did not make any noise, but maintained their formation. A long black and gray dragon formed on the gravel road.

"I don't want to talk too much, if you don't follow the regulations, someone will settle the score with him after you go back!" Qiao Shiqi gave a last word to the shopkeepers around him, and then said: "Let's go! "Then he took the lead and took more than 100 people in his family to be the vanguard.

After that, all the shopkeepers also brought their cronies back to their families, and the long queue composed of sections immediately set off.

The brigade of lake bandits, who had been repeatedly informed of the port's specific situation on the road, quickly passed through the commercial area and storage area without dividing their troops-they knew that these were empty, and the fat was only in the port authority compound.

When the footsteps of "cracking" came from far to near in the moonlit night, and finally came to the main road in the port area, only a sentinel on a wide road was separated, and finally saw a large number of black figures on the other side of the road... In the bright Under the bright moonlight, it is hard to justify not seeing it.