Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen.blood sacrifice

When the Jiang Fang Army left the West Camp, the sky was already weeping, but the rain was not heavy.What's worse is that the road from the county seat to Yanshi is covered with black silt and red clay, which turns into mud with a little rain.As soon as those muddy horses trampled ahead, they became more sticky and became a trap. The sky was so gloomy that even the sound of drums could not penetrate the low-pressure stratus clouds. Mouth, sucking up those passing teams. It's not just the Commander Snub Nose who has this addiction, almost all Beiyang generals like to show off their military power by going to war; what Snub Nose is most proud of is the brilliant achievements of his army on the field.Jiang Fangjun passed the Yangqiao on the Grand Canal in the drizzle of cigarette smoke, and the division commander Snub Nose half-lyed on the special high-backed chair on the tower, squinting and watching.Yes, the military might is really impressive.After intensive feeding in the spring, the horses became fatter. Before departure, the long manes and short curly hairs of the horses and the whole body of the horses were combed and washed, and they were shiny in the gray sky, except for the horsemen who were hunched The waist makes the horse look more robust and majestic, and the round hips are wider than the door panel, shaking and connecting into small waves.

There are always about two hundred horses in this group, spread out in a row, at least half a mile wide, there is no need to catch fire, and it is enough to look at them just by showing off their posture.The cavalry is considered to be the pioneer, and behind this are three five-color military flags with yellow tassels, half-fluttering and half-hanging, leading them silently. Behind the military flags is a German-style military band, whining and blaring. The drum was beating loudly, and the sound was so loud that one felt a little dizzy after drinking half a pot of old wine in one go. Look, his grandma is really a big army!Mr. Snub Nose said to his left and right: Let the toads in the wells in Yanshi listen to it, maybe some guys have never heard this kind of drum horn since they were born!

They only know how to brag!The good-natured chief of staff said, leaning forward, with his hands on his knees, like a rooster soaked in rain: I don't believe it, I don't believe this ox knife can't kill a chicken.His protruding throat twitched and he gulped. There was a rumbling sound from the bridge deck, and the artillery team moved over. Several small mountain cannons covered with iron wheels pulled by strong mules trembled, as if suffering from malaria.The infantrymen walked neatly, still walking with the horseshoe steps they are accustomed to walking on the field, gray hard helmets, square backpacks with hard cases, white towels dancing with their buttocks, and guns hanging upside down on their shoulders Branches are enough to satisfy Mr. Flat Nose.

Work hard, brothers!Master Snub Nose squeezed his breathless throat and shouted down: I have always been willing to give out rewards for opening the salt market! Fuck your motherfucker!Someone in the team muttered: This kind of rainy day is wronged by the old women, and the bad stars will take care of you for eight lifetimes!Such a curse gently spread in Liezi, forming many small flames of hatred that could not be extinguished by the cold rain, burning on some indifferent and silent foreheads.With their backs to the city tower, they passed through the round holes of the city gate like a passageway, walked across the rain-locked foreign bridge, and walked into the lead-colored field.

The rain and fog blocked people's vision, and it was wet everywhere, even people's hearts were wet, and water could be squeezed out; guns were bumping everywhere, and the mud was biting like hungry catfish man's heel. Oh, the third company, the third company, the third company?The soldiers who fell behind ran over yelling all the way, and after a while, ran back yelling all the way.The horses trudged through the mud, neighing incessantly.More people strayed from the line, stretching their necks in the gray rain and fog. After leaving the gap in the mound, the team left the road and wandered like an unfolded fan. The field became a manhole, and a person slipped and fell behind, and the mud splashed, causing a lot of complaints.Bing Yong, who had fallen behind in the third company, called all the way over again, but was grabbed by the arm by an old guy and said: You silly bird!Why are you howling?How many companies do you care about?Just walk forward in the den with your eyes closed. If you win, you will have to share in the reward. If you lose, you will be more slippery when you go alone!

You got it wrong, brother.The man said: You are really a stupid bird. You deserted alone and let the people of the four villages snatch you. They will peel off as many layers of skin as you have! Hey, follow up, follow up!Who is shouting at the front, but the team is getting farther and farther away, even if they want to follow up, the face of a group of people is full of courage, but the straw sandals under the feet refuse to help, and the loops are broken in three or two steps I couldn't tie the knot, and I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I had to tie a pair of broken straw sandals together and hang them on the gun ring, like two salted fish dripping with marinade.

Fog and rain sealed the sky and made the world in people's eyes so narrow, damp, gloomy and miserable; every veteran of the Beiyang army has many blind traditional superstitions, especially loves to be suspicious before going to war , the team has not yet opened the camp, and it has already caused panic and panic.Some guys come to blind fortune-tellers to tell fortunes and fleeting years, some ask wandering witches to summon ghosts to talk to, some believe in orioles who can draw cards, and some buy incense candles and go to nearby ancient temples to throw divinations for fortune-telling. ,

Are you saying that you are afraid of death and greedy for life?Not necessarily, living under the board, standing on the night guard, walking long distances, suffering from hunger and cold, often looking forward to being shot in a war one day, twisting his braids and pulling him down, so that he will no longer suffer from this foreign bear crime, pushed like a donkey. He dawdled before, but when the news of the war came, the black shadow of death was pressing on his eyebrows, and he was a little unwilling to mention death, so he gave the bones of the dead to those generals to beat the drums?Just buried in a foreign country so desolately?There is resentment and injustice in the sadness!Both are human beings, and the same are born of parents, mothers, and Lao Tzu, not kneaded clay figurines, carved puppets, always stubbornly persisting in semi-desperation, cursing, always hoping that Sun Chuanfang and the flat-nosed gang will survive in the human world. In the eyes of retribution!Who knows?The sub-gun can never hit the handsome general who hugs his wife and smokes opium and sits behind him

The rain is falling like this, the front row and the back row are also separated by rain and fog, no one can see anyone, no one can help anyone, everyone feels so lonely and helpless, and they are all trapped in their own ways. inside the tragic fate. Everyone knows that the moment before the war is the most difficult. Many scattered and painful thoughts will come from the distant time and space, from the retrospect, from the bitter memories, from the dreams that are often cut off by the morning call. Floating back, swinging back, a swarm of ghost ants (a large red ant that is good at biting, commonly known as ghost ants) seems to be biting people's hearts; It is extremely important. Everyone believes that the fog and rain before the war was not rain, but tears shed by God, for those kind and innocent people in Yanshi, and for the poor people who were dying and looking at Taiping and their hometown. brother.

How many miles to the line of fire? Soon.No one was seen in the fog, but there was only a mocking voice: the dirt mound beyond the front is the bank of the old Yellow River, where Duck Daner broke the pot when he attacked the salt market; if you want to see the bloodletting sooner, you can Let's go ahead, advance to the city of death, so that his mother can grab a good berth first. Hehehe, one laughed like a howling owl: I don't care if there is a shop or not, I only know that the sloppy soup prepared by Yan Laoxi is good or bad, the first to drink the thin one, and the second to drink the thick one.My mother will wait for you to die before you die, and I will never grab the thin soup on the bowl of noodles.

Horizontal and straight is a dead end, so how can there be a priority?Grandma's.I think the fire is serious and there is no good sign.Another hoarse and forked voice said in the back: "If you don't believe me, just watch, it's so miserable!" The motley squad of infantry walked across the field, leaving scattered and sunken footprints.A few sobbing trumpets sounded in the mist ahead of them.Until the infantry team turned over the ridge, the artillery team was still struggling in the mud. Although a few small mountain guns never hit the target during the drill, the artillery team was useless, but whenever the battle was about to start, the flat nose would definitely put it on the ground. It dragged out to debut. Snub nose is the most adored of foreign things. I always think that foreign things like small mountain cannons, as long as they are dragged to the line of fire to bombard them a few times indiscriminately, let alone whether they are accurate. The Trojan horse in the soil was so frightened that it was dizzy, and it couldn't tell east, west, north, and south with its eyes open.Because of this, the artillery team suffered a lot.The black silt and red clay, soaked by the rain, is like a pot of paste, biting the iron wheel tightly, forming a mud cake on the side of the wheel, and the mules dragging the cannon struggled forward. Helplessly, the mud on the ground was deep and slippery, and their four hooves could not get any strength at all. Even if they were not ordered to be whipped with leather whips, they could only whine with exhaustion. The artillery cart was dragged up the slope, and the mules were working hard in vain as if they had been restrained, their hooves could not slide, forcing the artillerymen to step in one after another, helping to turn the iron wheel, one by one, hey, hey, high up. He squinted his buttocks and put all his efforts on his frowning eyebrows, bulging eyes and grinning mouth, but that kind of effort did not help the mules. One cannon slipped all the way and rolled under the grass ditch up. What an iron general who ran away!The gunner of that cannon jokingly said: It insists on sleeping in the grass ditch, so we will end up with it without a cannon. The trumpet sounded here and there, and all the companies were looking for people. The rain, fog and mud made the scattered teams lose their organization and contact. In the chaos, I don't know which squad is which row?In any case, groups of three or five can be gathered together; the cavalry entered the South Camp to assemble, and many infantry companies huddled in the small street outside the camp to shelter from the rain. The long embankment of Yanshi, which was close in front of us, was blocked by rain and fog, and there was no shadow to be seen. , and no human voice could be heard.This kind of abnormal silence before the start of the battle is the most frightening. Even the veterans who have been through battles are a little frightened, let alone the Jiang Fangjun who have never fought a tough battle? ! Passing through this chaos, time slowly flowed past. It was not until evening that the follow-up team drove through the mounds and arrived at the scattered villages on the south bank of the Yellow River.But the master teacher has not come yet, the order to attack has not been issued, and even the three regiment leaders have not been able to meet.Some officials in Beiyang blamed the chaos on God, saying that God shouldn't rain at such a time, so that they couldn't even pull back their offensive posture. Five, I hope that the rain will fall and it will not open for ten days and half a month. Even after the follow-up troops arrived, the chaotic situation continued unabated. The teams entering the village, armed with guns, were busy urging food and hay, splitting doors and setting fires to dry clothes, forcing villagers to kill pigs and deliver meat. They went to gather chickens and ducks, and built beds, but the teams that were squeezed out on the wasteland were unlucky, and they squatted on the mounds, river banks, wild houses, grass ditches, etc., holding guns one by one. Cursed under the bushes. I fuck it's mother!It's not fair.They went to the village to eat chicken and duck, but they left us here to fight this broken hole. Are we born dumb birds?Why not go to the village, but stay here and get wet?go!Let's go, brother.I don't know who yelled like that, but those drowned rats chimed in and echoed it! Maybe in the next hour, when the order to attack is issued, the corpses will be thrown in front of the formation; it's easy to be a drunk ghost, but it's hard to be a hungry ghost, why not go to a place where there are chickens and fire?As a result, troubles arose in various villages, some started gang fights over the dormitory, and some bayoneted over the chickens and ducks. Mr. Nose personally went to the front line to supervise the division. This kind of chaos is still happening everywhere, and the subordinates keep reporting that a certain company commander ate a fat chicken alone, and was cut off by his subordinates. huddle together The chief of staff was listening with worry on his face, but Mr. Snub-Nosed said nonchalantly, "These guys are just like crickets. If you don't fiddle with them, they won't open their teeth. Let them make a fuss." Making trouble is not a good way to motivate fighting spirit. I said Master, this is always in front of the two armies, if you don't deal with those troublemakers, I'm afraid the trouble will become bigger and bigger, then, then you won't be able to close the stall! Do you think the guys who cut off the company's nose will still stay there and let you take care of them? !With a flat nose and slanted eyeballs, with a treacherous and cunning demeanor, he said with a smile: I'm afraid I've already deserted my mother.As for booing in the nest, that's commonplace, let them coax away tonight, and tomorrow morning, with the attack order, they will agree with his mother's goal, thinking about the foreign money in Yanshi! That night in the Southern Day Camp, Commander Snub Nose, several regimental leaders who were drunk, captains of the cavalry and artillery teams, opened the map of Yanshi, discussing how to attack.It can be seen from the picture that although Yanshi is isolated on the high dam, it is a dangerous place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It faces the wide Yanhe River and faces the old Yellow River to the east. It is a slanting slope. There are dense green shrubs growing on it, and there are several large ponds and wild marshes with a width and length of several miles, forming a natural barrier. The shantytowns in the forest are the most troublesome. Everyone knows that these northern refugees who have suffered from famine are extremely savage people. Although they lack guns and ammunition, they have more single-handed wooden sticks, spears and iron forks. , Rolling to the ground, the momentum is as huge as a thousand troops.It stands to reason that it would be a good move if the troops were to bypass the large and small ferries on the east and west sides of Yanshi, insert knives from behind, and pounce on the wharf area of ​​Yanshi, because as long as they cross the Yanhe River, they can pierce into the city of Yanshi. The heart, there is no room for expansion and contraction in the middle, but the problem is that the situation in the towns in the north is unstable, and moreover, the strength of the soldiers is weak, if the attack fails, the next opportunity will be lost.If three regiments were concentrated to attack Yanshi head-on, they would have to ford the old Yellow River and attack the precarious high pile at the first gate of Yanshi. From start to finish.So facing this picture, each of the seven or eight guys can only raise their hats and scratch their scalps. I can't fucking believe it?Can the small Yanshi City resist Jiang Fang's army? !Snub nose angrily said: What's more, I increased the bounty this time, excluding bonuses! Because he was scratching his head with his hands in his hat, it seemed that the commander who boasted that the Jiangfang Army was invincible seemed to have been slapped in the face by someone, holding his head in his hands and crying out for pain; Dare to make up their own minds, some put their hands on their knees, raised a tuft of hair on their upper lip, stared at the lantern on the table with bulging eyes, and some frowned tightly, puffing out a cigarette with a cigarette in their mouth. His heart drifted here and there following the smoke, and the captain of the cavalry used to tap the knuckles on the back of the table, making a series of continuous sound of horseshoes. Breathe out a mouthful of air for feeding. Tonight, I'm going to tell you a damn serious thing, I have no place to vent my frustration, and it's all vented to a few subordinates: I really can't understand your blustery face!All in all, Yanshi must be conquered!All in all, I can't hurt this brain alone!talk, you? !Then Commander Zhao, what do you think should be done?Um? !you say me?My head Zhao is a short, fat man with a round face, a round belly, and a round butt. Because he is short, he always stands up with his hands on the table and tries his best to put his heels on: Report to the teacher, I have always followed your orders. service Fuck your mother Teppie, you idiot!As soon as the flat nose got angry, his mouth became dirty: I'm fucking asking you for advice? !What did Captain Li say?Um!It's you! In my regiment, you know, sir, most of the rosters listed are vacancies.We can only clean up the mess, if we talk about charging, there are not enough people and guns, uh, it is simply too far, too much, uh. Stop talking nonsense.Flat nose said: I think your head is quite clever, but you can push back and forth, you have to take this idea!Otherwise, why did I call you here? ! As far as making up my mind, I have some, but even I am half-hearted and unsure.Head Li shook his head and said: I mean to attack Yanshi, you can't rush it, anyway, if you want to take it within three to five days, it's impossible.My first idea was on the word "difficulty", because we have a large number of people, and if we surround it and imprison it for three to five months, and cut off its supply of rice, they will surely surrender.Yanshi has a large population, and there is no way to accumulate too much food. When it is trapped and runs out of food, it can't keep it if it wants to. Your idea is not bad, Mr. Snub Nose made a gesture to stop him and said: It's a pity that the abacus is a little too wishful.Think about it, the revolutionary army in the south is about to start the Northern Expedition, the south bank of the Yangtze River, the rumors are so tight, even the commander-in-chief doesn't know how long the five-provincial coalition can last, how can we have the time to soak mushrooms in Yanshi? ! If my first idea doesn't work, Captain Li rolled his eyes and said, "Then my second idea is to divide the troops to capture the large and small ferries, let go of the north and south, and attack from the east and west sides. This is the first and last method."In this way, the danger of crossing the river and wading and attacking high piles can be avoided. As long as one of the two sides succeeds and can rush into the long street of Yanshi, that's it!However, the two sides follow the ridge, and the terrain is too narrow for the team to spread out. If the opponent defends tightly, even if we can attack, our casualties will be enough. Master Snub Nose listened, feeling annoyed at the same time. If it wasn't really helpless, he would never have asked his subordinates for advice. He had also fought before, and the attack only required a word. He had never been in such a difficult situation. The shadow of the night surrounded him. When the lights were turned on, the rain seemed to be getting heavier, dripping and annoying, which completely shattered his original plan of showing off his military power in Pingyang; At least I can strengthen my courage for myself.Maybe it's because of the wine during dinner, I only feel my ears are buzzing, my eyes are dull, and my head is so heavy that I can't lift it up. That woman, Little Chrysanthemum, is really wicked, he thought in a daze, she didn't want to work in the teacher's outer room, and kept all the gold and silver treasures, but she wanted to pick up ashes for the Yanshi undercover agent, why on earth?Over the years, I have killed countless people, and I have never thought about it. Only the shadow of this woman is always swaying in my eyes, which cannot be pushed away or erased. Perhaps her words cannot be trusted at all, but the legend she told about those people in the salt market is absolutely true.Shenquan Taibao Dai Wangguan's mentors and apprentices are indeed real people. Although these people who are good at martial arts can't get away with bullets, they will frighten the bravery of their subordinates if they show their names. Commander, he quit, but wanted to encourage Yanshi to raise guns to rebel? !Leaving aside the men and guns in Yanshi, these few people alone are troublesome enough. If you don't get rid of these people, let alone be restless, even Grand Marshal Sun, who is far away in the south, will have tinnitus and heartbeat.Is it really time for Beiyang to run out of energy?Only these magic stars shine on the top? !Even a fucking little ass will follow them I said the teacher seat, and the voice of the chief of staff woke him up: What do you think of Captain Li's idea?You deliberate to make a decision, it should be dawn soon. Commander Snub Nose yawned, winked and said: The team has already set out on the line of fire, like riding on the back of a tiger, the order to attack must be issued!Zhao Tuan headed east and attacked Xiaodukou at dawn, Liu Tuan headed west and captured Dadukou before noon, Li Tuan attacked Gaodui first, the cavalry cheered, and seized Yangqiaokou by the way.The artillery team went back and fired immediately, bombarding me indiscriminately, let's talk about it until it's rotten!The chief of staff is fully responsible for supervising the battle, and I went back to the county seat to listen to the news.I don't like to talk empty words. I have prepared a huge reward of 10,000 oceans to break the salt market, and you can share it equally.Those who enter the salt market first will receive bonuses. When the Jiangfang army launched an attack in the rain, the division commander Snub Nose slept like a dead pig in the small mansion in Hehuachi Lane. The sound of cannon shook the land in the night.The sound of the cannon not only shook the entire Yanshi City, but also alarmed many villages and towns on the north bank of the Yanhe River.At the end of the fourth watch and the beginning of the fifth watch, the world was dark, and the sound of cannons woke countless people from their dreams. For the villagers, it is indescribable how frightened they were by the sound of the cannon, because it was a completely unfamiliar loud noise. The house was even more astonishing, it was first a loud bang like the sky burst and the earth cracked, and then there was a roaring, rippling reverberation!Hurry up, crash, boom, boom!Hurry up, crash!Wow, that seemed to be a primitive monster crouching in the darkness, making a strange roar before tearing the world apart. Finally, they dimly realized that it was Jiang Fangjun attacking Yanshi. The sound of cannons opened the battle curtain like that, but the people in the salt market didn't feel so frightened.Since the Jiangfang Army was transferred to the north in mid-winter, they have been actively preparing for this moment, and now it has finally come!The Jiangfang Army has a cavalry team and an artillery team. How many horses does the cavalry team have?How many guns does the artillery team have?The heart-warming Fang Sheng inquired very clearly. He had learned this trade earlier and also worked in this trade. He knew that a few small mountain cannons would not be very powerful in the hands of those useless people. They were no more powerful than red cannons Where are you going, so he had already asked people to ring the gong to tell the residents of Yanshi not to be alarmed when they heard the cannon. Only an idiot like Sun Chuanfang is willing to be taken advantage of. He said: Yinyang is talking about shipping, and buying these junk goods that are about to be scrapped by foreigners can only support him in the school field. If it is talking about bluffing, it is far from Woolen cloth! What he said was right, one of the three cannons placed on the hill in the south of Laohuang River broke down as soon as it was fired, and the other two fired four cannons each, three of which hit the bushes outside the town, and two of them fell into the old turtle pond One shot hit the shanty town in the east, the shell didn't explode, it only shot through a round hole in a shed where sheep were tied, and two more shots went to nowhere at all. The bombardment was nothing, Fang Sheng said, "I'm afraid they will pounce at dawn, and they have to notify everyone to prepare."If we want to keep our defense steady, we have to kill them personally in this first encounter, and kill their prestige!It's also good to let the flat nose know that Yanshi is not a piece of tofu, but a stone that will break your teeth if you gnaw on it. On the rainy street, a string of horse lanterns were lit under the corridors on both sides. The most elite gun team in Yanshi was waiting to be dispatched. Before giving directions, he had to hold this card in the palm of his hand.Sure enough, after the bombardment, the trumpet sounded in the south, and immediately after that, the gunfire of ping-ping-pong-pong became intensive. Lord Fang, Lord Fang!They are attacking the high pile.Someone came to report that Heili couldn't calculate the number of people, but only knew that there was a cavalry team. Fang Sheng nodded and said, "I see." As soon as the Jiangfang army attacked the high pile, Fang Sheng knew that the east and west would be subject to greater attacks. A flat nose is not a worm, and he will not go back to the old way of the duck egg head, forcibly wading the old Yellow River at gunpoint. Shallow, that river can still be waded. Now that the spring rains are continuous, the surface of the Old Yellow River is more than ten feet wide, and the shallow water is full of people's heads. There is no place for wading. Besides, with the strength of the Jiangfang Army, there is no need Night attack, wherever they want to attack, they can make a big attack during the day when the rain stops and the fog clears. Night attack is a method of concealment, but unfortunately this method cannot be concealed from others. You go back and tell Mr. Tang, Fang Sheng pondered for a while, and said to the people, "Tong led the people to hold the entrance of Yangqiao. The Yangqiao must not be broken by the cavalry. Mr. Tang can send a group of people to help Tong." Belt, as long as Yangqiao is kept, Gaodui will never be lost. The visitor withdrew and climbed onto the horse's back with a square lamp, and the sound of the horse's hooves gradually faded away.Regardless of whether the Jiangfang army is attacking for real or not, Tang Liupao with his braids is fighting against the Jiangfang army across the river in the rain. It can judge the enemy's situation by relying on various sounds, and those many sounds can easily confuse people and cause illusions. The sound is like a long turbulent river, with big waves one after another. The first thing to sound is the sound of drums and horns from far to near, and the sound of horseshoes, and then there is a shout like a prairie fire. Those sounds seem to stick to the on a person's ear.But the sound of gunfire covered up those voices again. The Maris fast gun was like fried beans, the machine gun was whistling like a gust of wind, the breech-loading gun was even more chaotic, and the stray bullets flying over the high altitude drew out incongruous spikes. Naruto As soon as the Jiang Fangjun opened fire, the eyes of the militia were opened, and they saw countless blue flames of muzzle fire flashing out of the blackness on the other side of the old Yellow River. Yellow and blue, wrapped in a ball of dazzling bright blue, just like the phantom flowers blooming in dreams, ghost-like blue and white faces, street lights in the nether world, and phosphorous fire rolling in barren graves, all will bloom in phantom flowers There are so many miserable phantasmagorias and omens of death that enter people's associations in an instant, making people no longer want to listen to the sound of gunshots. Hundreds of men in the militia were lying quietly in the trenches and forts. They just lay there motionless, like a group of hungry tigers looking for food. In their minds, the heroic Tang Liufa had repeatedly warned them not to pay any attention to those turtles until the Beiyang soldiers approached. .Now they are just lying still, waiting for Tang Liupao Tang Lord's order to act.From time to time, raindrops fell on the fort cover above their heads, the round bamboo hats, and the coir raincoats woven from sorghum leaves. They were rustling, seven parts tragic and three parts desolate. Among this group of people, no one is a person who gambles with guns and kills soldiers on the battlefield, and no one is willing to hold on to the knife and gun that kills people. The refugees in the shantytowns often dream of the northern wilderness full of famine and epidemics. They survived the suffering and went back to their hometowns, rebuilding the long-desolate countryside. Other coolies in the small salt village were people who humiliated and stole their lives. Forced by the army, checked by the tax card, he had no choice but to enter the small government-run salt farm, and he had to dig up the soil and dry the salt under the scorching sun all day (the land on the east side of the salt city was soaked into the soil due to the years of salt transport by the transshipment merchants) , turned into a flat salt field covered with white salt crumbs, so a small salt farm was set up, the soil was excavated to dry the salt, and the sales proceeds were all owned by the public.), the monthly salary was pitifully low, and it was difficult to feed and clothe the family. It was not a war at all. But they were forced to be beaten. Their flames were not sprayed on the muzzles of their guns, but burned in every heart of survival. They lay still, staring at the fireplayers burning their pupils with the light of guns, the sound of death surrounded them, clamoring non-stop, the bullets of death grinning and passing over their heads, The blue phantom flowers of death bloom and fall in an instant. This is war, a bloody battlefield. They didn't raise any colorful banners, and they didn't need to bear any fame and fame. They were just a group of Those who want to live must live like human beings; to live, they must face these things and penetrate them. A bullet hit a person, and Hei Li didn't know who was shot, but he heard a short call, followed by a thumping sound.Who is it?Everyone seems to be the same.The dead man slid down from the crenel, his convulsive hands were still grasping the leather ring on the gun wall, blood gushed out from the wound torn by the bullet, and the bones protruded like a spring, carrying a hot damp coppery, no one saw him, saw his expression at the moment of death. Tang Ye, Tang Ye, this is a mess. It's time for us to return the gun, Tom. But there is still that characteristic hoarse voice: don't pay attention to those ugly grandchildren.See you after dawn.They are playing tricks, knowing that they can't cross the river, and they are firing guns indiscriminately, there must be ghosts in it! Tang Liufa led a group of solo fighters, leaning over the back of the carriages of the salt train, waiting. He knew that the Beiyang Army was a group of blind birds. Apart from guns, there is nothing else that can be used for good!The depth of the center of the Old Yellow River has been measured every day, and now the shallowest part is a foot or two deep. The deer village stretched all the way to the river bank. Even if people and horses could cross the river, the high piles would be enough for them to fill with their lives. Therefore, he quickly concluded that the Jiangfang army's attack on the high piles at night was a fake, and only one place at the mouth of Yangqiao There are fights. The single-handed team goes to the pile, and takes the shortcut to reinforce Yangqiaokou!He shouted: It is enough to go to a hundred knives first!If the horse team kicks at Yangqiao, roll over and cut their horses' legs! It was almost five o'clock, and the sky was not clear yet, but the wind and rain became more intense, and the shouts on the other side of the river were louder and louder, and the bullets still covered the whole high pile like rain, and there were a few grains The stray bullet grazed the iron wheels of the train not far away from Tang Liuzafu, sparking a burst of sparks. At this moment, gunshots were heard from both sides of the east and west, and there was also a tragic cry of killing from the Yangqiao entrance.From the looks of it, the Jiangfang Army must have reserved a group of people to contain Gaodui and divide up the troops to occupy the large and small ferries! Lord Tang, something is wrong with the gunshots these days!A single-handed man rolled over, approached Tang Liubao and said, "Dare the bastards are surrounded on three sides?"Our side has become unpopular! Gunshots, voices of people, neighing of horses, flames shining in the night, shouts soaring in the distance, and humming spiral horns interweave into a scene of fighting in the night. It seems like a strange and huge whirlwind that blows the entire Yanshi City from the big Uprooted from the ground, fluttering and rippling, rising in the clouds, no place can hold the hanging human heart. Since his mother sings in an opera, he should sing on stage!Tang Liu stroked his stiff, hedgehog-like mustaches and said: Pass the word to both sides for me, let's shoot the reed ball to open the eyes, and shoot these squeaking mice first! The so-called reed ball is really a masterpiece prepared by Tang Liuchao for night battles. He has long thought of this extremely primitive method of lighting at night. The reed balls were all soaked in flame-resistant tung oil, and piled up separately in the ammunition fort behind the high pile. Tang Liuchou chose dozens of extremely elastic bowl-thick giant bamboos to make a shooting rod for shooting reed balls, so that the tightly entangled reed balls can fly over the old Yellow River and fall to the plain on the other side. With a tailwind, the reed ball will fly farther and land on the high pile on the opposite bank. Tang Liupao is a hot guy, his burning heart makes him think of crazy fighting all the time, he is extremely unwilling to be hung on a high pile by an invisible enemy soldier at a critical moment in the east and west of Yanshi, if If he could kill this group of people earlier, he would be able to lead a large number of guns and go to the critical point to help. He lifted the bamboo hat, and the cold rain hit his head and face, and there was a huge power in his body that was waiting to be unleashed. This power was something he had never felt since he was a martial artist in his early years. Yes, earlier he had lamented the decline of fighting skills and the disappearance of morality in the chaos of demons. He used to be in a wait-and-see mood, seeing the flames of war everywhere, the houses in ruins, and the people suffering, displaced, and hidden. Run away, but there is no place to hide in the world. He was once caught in that densely woven net of pain, like a school of fish out of water.But Guan Baye woke him up, and brought him a brand new power. This power put heavy pressure on his shoulders, and made him no longer float. Every time he took a breath, this power increased a bit. . In the trap of death, his ears are full of the sound of bullets, and his eyes are full of blue flames from the muzzle of the gun. On the contrary, he is more awake than ever before, and the new power makes his whole body smoother.There is only a simple word "kill" in the tooth plate he is biting, and he will use this kind of force to crush these invading defenders.At this moment, it is nothing if a Tang Liuza is dumped. Tang Liuza is connected with tens of thousands of old people. In the eyes of the Beiyang warlords with guns and horses, they are not as good as a group of ants!For the first time, he felt that the death foretold by the blossoming spear flames was so beautiful, so beautiful, so tragic, and so desolate. He wanted to face this kind of death with his chest upright, and he wanted to show that he was a human being with a savage struggle. It's not an ant that can be crushed to death! There was a voice coming from both sides, the reed ball was ready, and it could be ignited and cast immediately after he gave an order!Tang Liusha ignored the flying bullets, jumped up like a tiger, clenched his fist with one hand, and held the foreign gun high and horizontally with the other, roaring: "Light it up!"put! His throat was so hoarse and deep, it sounded like thunder on the ground. In a blink of an eye, the bent shooting rod bounced, and from behind a high pile several miles long, countless red and poisonous burning fireballs flew up. The tongues of flames protruding in all directions were twisted by the wind and flew straight into the sky above the Old Yellow River. The fireball continued to spin and roll in the sky, and a little bit of Martian rain fell, tearing the night sky apart. On the surface of the river, there was a scene of the sky instead, and there were also countless deformed flaming fireballs walking oblique arcs and rolling towards the opposite bank. The gunfire stopped suddenly. The soldiers of Li Tuan of the Jiang Defense Army, who were in charge of the feint attack, never dreamed that the militia in Yanshi would play such a trick? !At the beginning, the regiment leader ordered them to pretend to attack, but the soldiers still had scruples, fearing that Yanshi would shoot back and hurt themselves, so they all lay down behind the embankment, untied their backpacks, shook off their blankets to wrap them in the rain and got wet. Each of them put their oilcloth raincoats on their heads, held their guns and fired indiscriminately at the opposite bank. After half an hour, there was no sound on the high pile on the opposite bank. They became more courageous and moved from behind the embankment to the embankment.頂，又從堤頂走下堤坡，群群麇聚在一無隱蔽的河灘上，一面開槍，一面直著喉嚨大嚷著繳械！繳械投降！等類的話，既喊叫得過癮，又能藉此驅寒，全以為雖沒強行涉水渡河，單憑這陣密雨似的槍彈和喊聲，業已把民團嚇昏了。 蘆火球初初飛出時，他們驚得目瞪口呆，等心神略定，知道這玩意不是炮彈，壓根兒不能傷人時，反而哄哄嘩笑著嘲謔起來。 咦，他奶奶，越打越夠交情啦，一個傢伙說：他們曉得老子們渾身冷濕，特意送盆火來為咱們暖暖身呢？敢情是 既不逢年，又不過節，一個說：用得著施放這多的焰火？他們竟有心腸耍這種孩子把戲！ 火球紛紛落下來，在人群前後滾燃著，有一個靠近河岸的兵勇衝著他身邊的火球踢了一腳，那隻火球雖然骨碌碌的滾落在河水裏，還浮流在水而上照樣的燃燒，無數火球把幾里長的河岸映照得通明，原以黑暗作為護符的北洋兵勇，都隱隱綽綽顯露了他們的身形。湯六刮把握住這一剎，揚聲喊出：排槍，快放！話音沒落，整條高堆上人人舉槍，槍槍吐火，眨眼就打得對岸那些兵勇們鬼哭狼嚎！ 乍起的火球的紅光迷住了他們的兩眼，使他們迷失了方向，也分不出高低，除了火光照得亮的那一角空間，他們任什麼全看不見了，就在這種盲目般的時刻，瞄準了的槍口移向他們活動著的形體，平飛的槍彈那樣無情的切割著他們的身軀，一排槍音沒落，另一排槍又跟著密射過來，應聲仆倒的，屈膝呼天的，帶傷爬行的，喊爹叫娘的，扔槍抱頭的，幾乎佔全了。槍彈仍然飛射過來，那些兵勇們開始盲亂的從橫倒的屍首上奔跑，有的想爬堆，卻跳進河水裏去，有的爬上堆坡，卻直滑下來，渾身滾成了泥人。 這些灰藍色的影子都被咬死在湯六刮挫動的牙盤裏。萬民的怨恨都從他噴著火焰的眼裏直迸出來，指向那些形象，他冷冷的看著江防軍橫屍眼前，聽著那些哀慘的呼叫，沒有同情，沒有憐憫，因那已經不是人間，那是善良百姓們常常想著念著的，公平處斷惡人的地獄，刀山、血池、劍林和炮烙，正是這樣，正是這樣！如果說對岸成了火紅陰森的地獄，自己就該是公平執法的閻羅，這懲罰是公平的，他要這樣懲罰凶暴，要不然，這些暴徒們會使整個鹽市上成千累萬的善良人埋在火窟裏面。 快放！快放！弟兄們！ 他分開兩腿，挺立在火車廂的廂頂上，威風凜凜的像一尊天神，他鬍髭上沾著雨水，他的兩眼裏亮著火光。他背負著愛心，更從愛裏走出來，化成一片燒向暴力的烈火。這把烈火可真把江防軍的李團燒化了，湯六刮的蘆火球攻勢，至少使李團長的花名冊上又多了一百個空缺，連著三四陣排槍把他們逐退到河堤背後去，在光坦的河岸附近，祗留下無數猶自燃燒的火球，照亮了沒人理會的槍枝，背囊，硬帽，彈盒，爬行的傷者和七橫八豎的屍身 天就那樣緩緩的放亮了。 灰白的天光在洋橋口一帶卻變成了紅的。 塌鼻子所屬的江防軍馬隊正反覆蹂躪著這塊地面，連孫傳芳也曾當眾誇讚過的江防軍馬隊確是這一師的精銳，這些馬隊的騎者，都是經過一再挑選的北方大漢，不但身材要結實，而且要有相當的膂力，能控得劣馬，舉得鈍重的馬刀，不但善騎，而且槍法要有準頭，除了在校場上演練外，馬隊通常是簇擁著塌鼻子師長出巡的護兵，所以在兵勇的待遇上，也就有了很大的差別，普通一個馬兵的月餉，抵得上四個步兵隊的兵勇，無怪開戰時，馬兵們要比步兵勇敢至少他們沒餓癟了肚皮。 也許就因為待遇好的關係，十個馬兵就有十個不願意死，平常他們餉包足，有酒有肉有女人，夠自在夠逍遙的，活既活得舒坦，誰願上陣就頂著槍子兒來？ !塌鼻子師長既拿炮隊和馬隊充門面，故此馬隊的裝備也夠新的，馬力斯快槍和短筒彎把馬槍打起來槓槓叫，養成馬兵們不把對手放在眼裏的十足傲氣，塌鼻子下令，要馬隊替李團助陣，順便攻洋橋，馬隊隊長認為替步兵助陣太無聊，就逕自朝東面斜奔過來，猛撲洋橋口了。 洋橋口原是縣城直通鹽市周邊的大道銜接點，一塊突出的高地上全已被有刺鐵絲圍成的各型拒馬、橫木釘成的圍牆，斜插的鹿砦阻塞了，變成一塊荒草叢生的死地，洋橋的橋身上，也被五六道帶刺的稜形拒馬阻住，橋北端巨石壘成的河壁上，魚眼般的凸出兩座磚堡，經常有瞭望的崗哨在堡頂上荷槍徘徊著。 假如塌鼻子師長能把他這一支精銳的馬隊用在地勢開曠的平野上，來一次黎明決戰，鹽市上的那些手持刀叉木棍的人也許會吃場大虧；馬隊開戰，最忌黑夜、狹地和泥濘的雨天，塌鼻子偏讓他們在黑夜裏頂著雨來攻洋橋口這塊狹地，簡直就是把他們送上屠宰作坊。 馬隊在落著雨的黑夜裏奔馳過來，軟濕的泥地也掩不住群馬奔馳的蹄聲，踐水聲，刀環和馬鞍的碰擊聲，馬槍和背囊在抖動中的摩擦聲，這些聲響，老遠就被守護洋橋的民團聽在耳裏了。洋橋口這塊咽喉地帶，是由新的保鄉團統帶親自扼守著的，原先兩淮緝私營的一撥馬隊，正跟江防軍的馬隊隔河唱上了對台。馬兵出身的統帶，早就防著江防軍的馬隊會來撲襲，所以在橋南端的要道上，事先掘妥了許多陷馬的深坑，面上使竹枝、蘆席和一層浮土掩蓋著，更在馬匹可能經過的地方，插上尖銳的單枝鹿砦，扯起低矮的絆索，專門對付大舉撲襲的馬隊。 假如遇上晴朗的白天，江防軍馬隊決不至大睜兩眼吃這場大虧。由於落雨的關係，有一部份陷馬坑表面的掩覆已經變了形；浮泥被雨水沖激流走，露出泛白的席面和捲起的席角，有些流不走的粗糙的砂礫土聚在席心，使人一眼就判斷出那些深坑的位置，單枝鹿砦樹皮剝脫了，白森森的裸枝也東一枝西一枝的暴露著，極易為人察覺，有些原繃得很緊的絆索也已經由於基樁歪斜而鬆弛了。 偏偏江防軍馬隊揀著這種墨黑的雨夜撲襲，等到他們進入這塊死地時，再想撥馬後退已經晚了。 幾匹領頭的馬匹被狼牙般尖銳的單枝鹿砦刺穿了馬腹，傷馬腹疼，嚄嚄哀嘶著，連鹿砦一齊拉起，盲目的朝前奔騰過去，誰知卻碰上另一道密集的高枝鹿砦，人和馬都被無數尖牙咬在上面，有一個馬兵心急，從馬背上翻跳下來，一枝朝天直舉的鹿砦直戳進他的肛門，使他筆直的暈死在那兒，有些馬兵在馬匹受驚的顛躓中落了馬，散韁的馬匹拖著連續的長嘶，亂奔亂竄，使馬兵們意識受到極大的打擊性的驚震。 扯轉韁繩，勒馬後退！馬隊的隊長喊說。 有幾匹馬衝進了陷馬坑，有幾匹馬韁繩沒控穩，從路面的邊緣斜坡上直衝進橋底去了，而對面的兩座磚堡裏趁機伸槍吐火，真個是打得馬隊先頭人仰馬翻。 這一來，卻激起江防軍馬隊的怒火，他們退出這塊滿是阻障的橋頭，下馬散開，也用馬力斯快槍還擊，展開了熾熱無比的槍戰。 咱們等天色放亮時再攻。馬隊的隊長說：除非民團自己縱火，把這道長橋燒掉，要不然，鹿砦拒馬是擋不得咱們馬頭的，至多不過是拖延時數罷了！ 馬隊的幾百支快槍的火力夠強的，民團方面，哪兒有槍火閃亮，幾百支槍口就集齊朝那個方向猛壓，壓得民團中據守磚堡的人幾乎抬不起頭來。江防軍馬隊雖然開頭吃了夜暗的大虧，損傷十幾匹馬，及至雙方槍戰半個時辰之後，兩面的傷亡也就相等了。 馬隊的隊長陰魂不散似的死纏在橋口，趁著夜暗，又收容了從李團潰散來的一些步卒，令他們爬過去刨鹿砦，拖拒馬，清除橋口一帶的阻障。 天，就在這時刻轉亮了 天轉亮了，雨雖沒停，卻能看出雲層較高，天光也較亮，這正是快要收雲歇雨的徵兆，估量著大小渡口的攻撲正在激烈進行著，幾里外全聽得見殺聲；這種樣的天色壯了江防軍的膽子，尤其是圍撲洋橋口的這股馬隊，急於要掃通進路，在鹽市民團勢危毀橋前直衝進去。 統帶困守在磚堡裏，民團的傷亡越來越多了。儘管拚命開槍壓蓋著，也擋不住馬隊在橋南清掃那些阻障。天亮後，馬隊的槍火蓋得很準，連射口也伸不得人頭。自己統著的人數不多，萬一橋面的阻障被掃清，很難擋得住馬隊闖進來。 除了請方爺撥槍過來，統帶說：這兒情勢夠緊的了！ 用不著找方爺，堡後的壕塹口有人伸頭報說：西邊堆上撥來了百十張單刀，有刀手助陣，他們一時也難闖得過橋的。 統帶無聲的嘆口氣，感慨的說：這也祗是臨時應急的辦法，鹽市到底是座孤城。大湖澤的民軍，被小鬍子領兵隔住，一時伸不來援手；孤身北去的關八爺又渺無音訊，假如北地不來援，鹽市雖能勉力撐持，但日子也不會熬得太久了！ 在陰暗潮濕的磚堡裏，景象是淒慘的，馬力斯快槍還在響著，堡牆上業已散布了大遍零亂的彈洞，掛彩的就靠在牆角上，一些屍首疊在堡口，粗糙的圓木釘成的地上，到處滴灑著鮮血，一隻被扔落的牛角哨兒橫在一灘血泊中沒人撿拾，每枝槍孔下都蹲著兩個人，趁空兒朝外放槍。密集的槍彈早把人兩耳嘯聾了，祗覺得堡頂的木架顫震著，塵土紛紛朝下灑，迷著人的兩眼。 東面和西面喊殺聲捲地而起，大小渡口也不知情勢如何？而橋南端的江防軍馬隊，許是受了三面攻撲的慫恿，也已經把三層鹿砦掃除，在猛烈的槍火壓護下爬上橋面拖移拒馬。 讓他們衝過來，還是毀橋？ 毀橋是來不及了。統帶說：祗有硬對硬的搏殺才是辦法。 誰的槍擊中一個拖拒馬的兵勇。那人站起身子打了個盤旋，從橋欄的側面栽進了河心。幾匹馬跟著上橋，也被擊倒在橋面上，單刀隊趁勢滾殺過去，在長橋的兩端拉著大鋸，幸好湯六刮又從高堆那邊抽撥百十個槍隊趕到，才使一度危急的洋橋口轉成僵持不下的局面。 這局面是鮮血換來的，前後不到一個時辰的激戰，橋面上已橫滿了屍體，重傷的馬匹被遺棄在橋口的坑凹裏，還不時刨動蹄子，朝空發出逐漸微弱的哀嘶。 幾隻愛食屍的大癩鷹，似乎被某種血腥的氣味引動了，在灰色的雲層下盤盤繞繞的飛著，通常在細雨並沒全停的時刻，牠們是難得飛翔的。 牠們尖銳的眼看得見地面上的鮮血與河心扯動的紅絲。牠們骨碌碌的鳴叫著，鳴聲是很歡悅的。 天沒放亮時，被分派在東邊扼守小渡口的石二矮子、大狗熊和王大貴一直圍在小酒鋪裏跟棚戶裏的漢子們聊天。石二矮子那張嘴除了吃喝之外，總難得有停住的時候，而且滿嘴詼諧，逗得那些棚戶們咧開厚實的嘴唇，笑得捧著肚皮，簡直忘記了江防軍業已開上火線，就要對鹽市展開攻撲了。 棚戶們一向崇仰關八爺，對於眼前這三位跟八爺走道兒，而且屢經大難不死的三個人也夠尊重，他們稱石二矮子叫石爺，王大貴叫王爺，問及大狗熊的姓氏好稱呼時，石二矮子就說：叫他狗爺不甚雅，馬虎點，就叫熊爺罷！ 石爺，一個棚戶笑問說：您到底是闖過道兒的人，江防軍就要攻撲了，您還這樣開心？ 噢，我他媽開心透頂！石二矮子說：你不知咱們走腿子這多年，受過防軍多少洋熊氣，有機會送上門來，讓咱們伸槍打活靶，咱們為啥不開心？ ! 您好像一點兒也不在乎生死？一個棚戶手抱著兩頭削尖的木棍，蹲在他自己的腳跟上，帶一份好奇和讚歎的意味問說。 誰不怕死？石二矮眼珠亂滾一陣說：不過如今我石二矮子不怕了，怕死就是你養的。咱們這條命飄在浪頭上，說死麼，也該死過十回了。 實在說，跟八爺活在一起，耳濡目染的看著他行事為人，怕死鬼也會變成好漢。王大貴說：八爺他總認為人活著，即算做不了什麼，也該做個人，若果人也做不了，倒不如死得像個人樣兒。 石二矮子正待說什麼，炮聲卻把他的話頭剪斷了。棚戶們一向沒聽過炮擊，個個都有些憂慮之色，而石二矮子卻理開嗓門兒，歪腔歪調的唱出來： 洋熊炮，瞎胡鬧 東一炮來西一炮 打得老子哈哈笑 忽然他停住身子的搖晃，正正經經的捏著眼皮說：不是我在說鬼話，我敢打賭，天一亮，防軍準會攻撲小渡口，不信？那你們就等著瞧好了！我這眼皮一跳，十回靈驗十回。你們準備著廝殺罷，我說的話是錯不了的！ 棚戶們半信半疑的聽著，其實他們也沒什麼好準備的，統領著他們的張二花鞋早就集聚起他們，一再演練過殺敵的方法，那方法是依照小渡口的地勢決定的。如果說鹽市那條東西橫走的長堆是一條舉首欲飛的蒼龍，那麼小渡口就是這條龍昂起的龍頭，無數凸起圓頂沙丘是蒼龍頭頂上的閃光的鱗甲，沙丘中間圍著高架鐵刺網的小鹽莊房舍，恰恰坐落在龍頂的正中央。 張二花鞋手裏控有兩百多支雜牌槍組成的槍隊，就布置在小鹽莊那一帶起伏不平的高地上，東面棚戶區的七八百使刀叉棍棒的人，張二花鞋把他們編成七隊，分別匿伏在沙丘腳下的灌木叢裏；他料定江防軍若攻小渡口，必得要攻佔高地上的小鹽莊，要攻小鹽莊，必得先通過七條狹長的谷道，這七隊沒有洋槍的人利於近戰，等江防軍分散開來，經過谷道時，他就鳴鑼，使棚戶們躍起搏殺。而現在他們早在分隊藏匿妥當了，小酒鋪是外側第一隊，在這裏，張二花鞋留下幾支匣槍的用意，是讓石二矮子藏匿到最後，偷襲江防軍指揮隊伍攻撲的官長。 江防軍就是這種貨色，張二花鞋說得好：祗要把他們頭兒撂倒，他們就亂了，我領著槍隊一反撲，他們非潰散不可。 南面的槍聲響得很急，東面始終不見動靜，有人就笑說：石爺，天眼看就快放亮了，您那眼皮跳得不靈光了罷？ 慢慢叫，慢慢叫，石二矮子說：天亮還要黑一黑呢！說著，忽然一拍腦袋，轉朝大狗熊發話了：說正經的，人家張二爺肯把打蛇打頭的這種重任託付給咱們，可算是看在八爺面上，瞧得起咱們，咱們為了替八爺撐檯面，也為自己爭口氣，不知哪個忘八羔子的臭腦袋，咱們非拎不可。 你他娘開心逗趣老半天，祗有這番言語才沾幾分人味！大狗熊說：祗要你不當失陷街亭的馬謖也就罷了，你若再玩萬家樓那一手鹹鴨兒浮水，我可救不得你，咱們這可是有言在先。 石二矮子沒說話，祗是紅著臉，縮一縮腦袋。在短暫的沉默中，他的思緒遠引著。一個慣於打嘲謔罵的浪漢，言語和內心總像被一層什麼隔著，他說不出那是什麼？曠野中間游走著的荒草路，遮天蓋日的狂風沙，構成野棱棱生命的背景，他常無因無由的溯憶起那種情境，溯憶起飄舞的黃葉，被霜的秋草，彷彿仍能聽得見被風絞起的鹽車的軸唱聲，那些生死相連的人臉一張張的飄落了，自己該大哭一場才好，但總這樣魯鈍愚呆，喝白水樣的笑著，笑在心底和哭相連，他們那樣死去是為了什麼？一個人，一個人！也就是這樣的了。 這兒正是廿天前送別關八爺的地方，風裏的雲，遠天的樹襯映出一河淒荒的野蘆和方頭渡船上一人一馬的影子，在高渺的藍天之下，連那樣雄健的背影也顯得分外的渺小，分外的孤伶，自己死得，但關八爺死不得。他走後，噩夢總纏著自己，夢見那個人滿臉汗粒，獨背著整整的一塊藍天。 這也許臨到自己最後的時辰了，死前見不著關八爺總是一宗憾事，彷彿死也死得空茫，有一份難以解開牽掛，牽掛關八爺這一去的安危！他是那種人，祗要不死在朱四判官槍下，他從這兒離去，必將從這兒回來，祗要有他在，這一角蒼天不會崩塌，它江防軍再狠，也不會壓平鹽市這座孤城。假如萬一他受了傷害呢？那這些人除非得他默佑，借取他那樣的精神跟江防軍單獨周旋到底了！ 你還在疑想些什麼？矮鬼，大狗熊用急促的聲音叫喚他說：你那眼皮跳準了，咱們這台戲業已開鑼啦？ 他們離開酒鋪時，灰白色的晨光奮力撕開了東邊的一條雲，江防軍的號音在原野上飄蕩著並且遙相和應著。從小酒鋪背後的土崗稜上極目東望，看得見縷縷如蟻的灰藍色的點子，像風裏牽出的蛛絲，略略打斜朝小渡口這邊伸延，一條，兩條，三條 雨絲已然暫時停歇了，淡藍白色的地氣裹住他們，他們朝高陵地帶開過來，那樣明目張膽的開過來。慢慢的，三條長長的蛛絲變成無數短短的並行的毒蜈蚣，他們在陣前展開了，同時迸起了徐緩的鼓響。在清晨沉遲的大氣裏，沒有風能吹散那種鬱悶的聲音，鼓聲是緩慢的，均勻而沉重的，像打樁的巨錘一樣，一錘一錘的錘入地面，再從地面彈起，震動人的耳膜。 咚，咚！Boom boom boom! 咚，咚！Boom boom boom! 而這種聲音正是江防軍白晝攻撲的前奏，在小渡口，沒有天然的障礙阻擋著他們，他們習慣這樣把全部鉅額賭本全攤在檯面上顯闊，因為在高陵地帶的下面，有一片足夠他們全面開展的平野。 石二矮子看著，臉上顯出頗為稀奇的滿足的神情，那神情，祗有當他酒醉飯飽而且手氣順贏了錢的時候才能見到，他兩手互捏在胸前，輕輕的忘情似的扭動著，把骨節弄得咯咯的響，兩眼微微的眯覷著，高抬起下巴，使舌頭換舐著上唇和下唇，像一隻貪饞的蛤蟆瞪視著一群在牠眼前嗡鳴的蚊蚋，他嘴角也有些濕黏黏的。 我操他的大妹子！他喃喃的說：咚咚，咚咚，你瞧那種熱活勁兒！ 石二矮子說得一點兒也不錯，江防軍的趙團這樣展開時，連小米桶似的趙團長也熱活得渾身發癢。小渡口的地勢他匆匆打量過，覺得非用廣正面的攻撲不足以震懾對方，於是他把作為預備隊的一個營也抽調上來，配置在正面的右方，使他的攻撲幅度扯有兩里多寬！ 從上一回大帥在校場上大檢閱之後，他有很久沒能得機會露露他這一手了，這回攻鹽市，正是個絕好的演兵的機會，因為他覺得唯有開戰時，他才耀武揚威得像個團長，談到叉麻雀，他是十賭九輸，談到嫖女人，他又是個先天性的陽萎，跟塌鼻子師長走在一起，他又自卑得像個隨身的馬弁，這一回，他可得好生揚揚眉吐吐氣了。 他在小渡口東面一座村莊上，他的臨時設置的攻撲指揮部裏，正式下達了攻撲前進的命令，等到全團的隊伍從混亂中整出建制，排木偶似的展開之後，他用完早點，這才換上簇新的灰藍呢質軍服，佩上雪亮的金絲纏把銅鞘指揮刀，登上帶馬刺的長筒馬靴，套上在校場檢閱用的白色手套，擎起細長的軟藤馬鞭，掛上瞭望鏡，鼻孔出氣哼出幾個字：牽馬來！ 寬大整齊的方陣在平野上緩緩推動著，鼓手們木無表情的擂著鐵架軍鼓，使沉寂的清晨大氣裏充滿即將迸發的廝殺意味；那種使人容光煥發的鼓聲震動了趙團長挺出在馬鞍上的肥大的肚腹，使他有一種容易消化早餐的感覺他那匹經過梳理的灰斑白馬雖然高大豐肥，長鬃上結了無數細長的拖垂於馬項兩邊的辮子，辮端紮著金絲線，卻嫌有幾分不調和的女性的氣味。 趙團長一向喜歡這匹灰斑馬，喜歡得似乎過份了一點，竟有些說不出口來的，人同牲畜間那種極端微妙的近乎同性戀的感情，馬步有些忸怩，使加鋪了錦墊的馬鞍聳動得恰到好處，使趙團長萎靡不振的那部份起一種超常的、似乎尚能稱得英雄式的快意。 他閒閒的鞭著馬，走在方陣的中間後方，四匹從騎護著他，一排從勇簇著他，他圓圓厚厚的小肥下巴綻開來，安放上陶然自得的微笑，翹高兩手的無名指和小拇指，捏起瞭望鏡來，湊在眼上，反覆移動著，欣賞並且品味他的拿手傑作，一次肅然的黎明全面大攻撲時他的部隊擺列出的雄姿。 這就是他的職業，他是正正當當的經過這種職業訓練的人，在這一點上，連出身不正的塌鼻子師長也得自嘆不如，他自卑是因為他的上司們看待鴉片煙槍比看待軍事操演更重，他常常夢想著如果他的上司不是塌鼻子，不是孫傳芳，而是凱撒，亞歷山大和拿破崙，那，他不至如今還幹著小小的團長，而讓塌鼻子指著他開口渾蛋，閉口飯桶的胡糟蹋，他怕塌鼻子，因為他沒有塌鼻子那樣的女兒能為大帥分開兩腿 即使這樣的委屈著，當他從瞭望鏡裏看見這種影畫般的行列時，威壯的軍鼓聲也使他高高的挺起了胸膛。這種不冷不熱不明不暗的天色，最適宜大舉攻撲了，這樣壯盛的軍容如一陣灰藍色的潮水，實在想不出鹽市上有什麼樣的力量能阻擋得了？ ! 他胸脯上有一些鐵質的帶芒角的胸章，在他肥胖的身軀抖動中叮噹蜜語著，那些都還是從不疼不癢的開戰中得來的。這回攻開鹽市，我該弄個大一點的佩佩