Chapter Fourteen: The Rescue Operation Begins

  "Xiangzhou?!"

  Di Lie, who was unaware that he had been labeled as a "malevolent spirit" by the highest commander of the Jin army, was pondering how to deal with this matter. As an active military officer, he was not unfamiliar with the map of China. Although modern place names, terrain, mountains, rivers and streams were different from those in ancient times, their general positions had not changed much. For the past two days, he had been studying the surrounding terrain with the Yang brothers, who were scouts by origin and had a good understanding of reconnaissance. Through their descriptions and drawings, Di Lie also roughly understood the general distribution of the Hebei and Shandong regions during the Song Dynasty. By comparing it with the map of China in his mind from later generations, he could basically match them up.

  This Xiangzhou is in the area of Anyang, Henan today, less than a hundred miles away from where they are now at Mangren Mountain. With such a short distance, if riding fast horses, it would only take one day to arrive. However, with unclear enemy situation and being the mainstay of these thousands of refugees, is it appropriate to leave hastily?

  Ye Die'er didn't know why Di Lie was hesitating, but she urged anxiously: "Those Jurchen soldiers who have been stationed in Anfu for a long time are the first batch of bandits to return after plundering. They are escorting thousands of male members of the Song Dynasty's imperial clan and nobility, as well as over 3,000 noblewomen, courtesans, palace maids, and tribute women from the common people. You are a heroic warrior sent by heaven to save our fellow villagers from disaster, how can you bear to stand idly by while the people suffer...?" As she spoke, she suddenly realized her words were presumptuous, and she involuntarily covered her mouth, her face turning pale.

  Di Lie naturally wouldn't mind this small "impertinence", but he couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. This girl really thought he was some kind of god. Last time, it was just a coincidence that they managed to take out two of the enemy's main generals at once, and then another coincidence led to a riot breaking out in the camp, which created an almost impossible miracle... but miracles can't be replicated...

  At this point, Ah Qi, who had been listening for half a day, inserted a sentence with great confidence: "Brother Di, go ahead! I'll get to work right away and make over a hundred thunderbolt bombs. I guarantee those golden dogs will be blown to smithereens!"

  Di Lie smiled and patted Ajie's messy hair, his heroic spirit suddenly rising - it was well said, no matter what, one couldn't lose face in front of women and children. With a wave of his hand: "Alright, since we're going to rescue people, let's just do it together. Dammit! These Golden Dogs have been bullying women too much..."

  At this time, a series of muffled thunder rumbled from the sky on the other side of the mountain, and dark clouds gathered in the distance, heavy and low-hanging. A storm was approaching.

  The next day at dawn, when the sky was just brightening, Di Lie set off with Ye Die and Yang Zhe.

  Ye Die'er must be brought along, otherwise who would recognize her as her sister? And with Yang Zhechong, apart from his scouting skills, he can also take care of Ye Die'er when Di Lie makes a move. Moreover, due to professional needs and being held captive in the Jin camp for quite some time, Yang Zhechong is not unfamiliar with the Jurchen language. Although he still cannot translate as fluently as Hou Fangjing, his listening skills and everyday conversation are no problem. This point is crucial for Di Lie's upcoming "reconnaissance" operation.

  Di Lie was fully armed once again, except for the two packs of explosives that he had handed over to Aji for safekeeping. He brought all his equipment from this time-space with him, and this time he also added a batch of Thunderbolt Bullets.

  Last night, Ajie obtained Di Lie's authorization and gathered more than a dozen gunpowder craftsmen to work overnight. Using the division of labor and assembly line method taught by Di Lie, they quickly produced over 100 different types of thunderbolt bombs while keeping the manufacturing process confidential. The smaller ones were about the size of a fist, with a killing power equivalent to that of hand grenades used during the Anti-Japanese War, while the larger ones were similar to explosive packs used during the Liberation War, not only in quantity but also in shape and design. No wonder, after all, Di Lie was also from the Liberation Army.

  Di Lie captured enough sulfur and saltpeter to fill five large carts, totaling over thirty stones. The sulfur and charcoal were no less than ten stones. During the Song Dynasty, one stone was equivalent to over 160 catties (a unit of weight). This means that Di Lie had over 7,000 catties of gunpowder ingredients. With ample materials, skilled craftsmen, precise formulas, and a new efficient workflow, it was not difficult to produce hundreds of bombs in just half a night.

  At the end of the Song Dynasty, craftsmen had already mastered certain gunpowder manufacturing techniques. The best formula and technology for black powder were just a thin layer of window paper for the Song Dynasty craftsmen. Before breaking through it, even if they racked their brains, they could only revolve around the outside of the window, but once broken through, it was like water flowing into a ditch, unimpeded, with basically no technical difficulties or obstacles. However, according to normal historical development, it would take more than 300 years to break through this layer of window paper. Due to Di Lie's appearance, this time was abruptly advanced. Moreover, as Di Lie's future development became increasingly unstoppable, the things that were "advanced" went far beyond just gunpowder...

  Di Lie picked up more than twenty small-caliber thunderbolt shells and brought along three ten-kilogram large explosive packs - with these guys, it's enough for those northern aborigines living in the den to drink a pot.

  As for Di Lie's adventurous actions, Yang Fen and Hou Fangjing as well as Zhou Dewang were all very disapproving, even strongly opposing. They really couldn't understand how in this world there could be such a reckless fellow, again and again, single-handedly provoking those terrifying Jin people like a demon. Where did he get such ample courage? Was it really not human?

  Di Lie, compared to the Song people of this era, indeed has the courage and confidence that they cannot match. From a psychological perspective, he is genuinely not taking the Jurchen people seriously. No matter how brutal or violent the Jurchen people are, can they compare to the invading Japanese army of later generations? If he were to travel through time to the period of the War of Resistance, he would still have the confidence to beat the devils until they are toothless, let alone these Eight Banners ancestors. In terms of his own abilities, Di Lie is also extremely confident in the special training he has received and the tactics that surpass this era, even if he can no longer direct a riot, but it's not difficult for him to muddy the waters, find and rescue the target, and then retreat unscathed.

  Counting on his fingers, Di Lie had only been in this era for a few days, and his thoughts and actions still carried the thick mark of another space-time. He still regarded himself as a soldier. In his original space-time, his enemy was pirates, but in this space-time, due to a series of encounters, he positioned his enemy as Jurchen Jin people.

  If he didn't know, it would be fine. Since he knew that there was an enemy army nearby, plundering a large number of compatriots, most of whom were women and children. And in the situation where he had the ability to do something, he did nothing, which was contrary to his moral principles as a human being and a shame to his profession. So, he must do something, no matter what the outcome is, doing it would be a clear conscience.

  Three people rode three horses, all of which were fine and strong, having been fed high-quality black bean oats before departure, washed clean, and fitted with new horseshoes. They could run over a hundred miles without any problem. Unfortunately, the three riders were not fully qualified. Except for Yang Chong, who was barely qualified as a rider, Di Lie's riding skills could only barely keep him from falling off when the horse galloped quickly. As for controlling and speeding up the horse, he was still at the stage of exploration. And Ye Die'er was even worse, clinging to the horse's neck with a pale face, looking like she would fall off at any moment, absolutely not suitable for riding horses - it was her first time.

  However, this girl really had a few stubbornness, and although she was afraid in her heart, she would not stay behind and insisted on moving forward. But due to her dragging, the journey was greatly delayed, and it took more than an hour to walk just over ten miles, at a speed slower than riding a bicycle.

  Yang Zhechong had never ridden such a slow horse in his life. This wasn't an ambush, but rather a leisurely ride to enjoy the scenery! Yang Zhechong couldn't help himself anymore and leaned close to Di Lie's side, whispering: "Boss, this won't do at all. Why don't we bring Ye Xiaoniang along?"

  Di Lie was now the leader of thousands, not only had he saved many lives but also had the great merit of seizing grain to sustain them. With his mysterious and unfathomable martial skills, even the most arrogant Yang brothers were sincerely convinced, let alone the craftsmen and doctors. At this time, the Song dynasty had been destroyed, the Central Plains had lost its master, and the world was in chaos. Even the most ignorant peddlers knew that it was time for a great change of dynasty.

  The Yang brothers were all seasoned soldiers, with big guts and sharp eyes, who keenly sensed that Di Lie was a figure to be reckoned with. In this chaotic world, following such a strong man might lead to some achievements. Therefore, they quietly changed their address to Di Lie as "Head Leader", under their influence, except for a few old craftsmen like Zhou De-wang who still called him "Di Little Brother", most people unconsciously followed suit and addressed Di Lie as Head Leader.

  The title "head" reminded Di Lie of the Liangshan heroes, where it was also called that way. Di Lie didn't care about this, he hadn't thought well whether to do this mountain king or not, after all, from a military man "transferring" to a giant thief, this turning point is a bit big, he still needs to think about it again.

  Di Lie heard Yang Zhechong say this, glanced back more than ten zhangs, and saw Ye Die'er, who was sweating profusely, shrug her shoulders: "You're right, at this rate, even if it gets dark, we won't be able to reach Tangyin, let alone Xiangzhou. However, your riding skills are the best, so you should lead us instead."

  Yang Zhechong hastily reined in his horse and retreated, anyway, his intention had been conveyed, whether to adopt it or not was up to Di Lie. A beautiful young woman like Ye Die'er, he didn't want to bring along on the same horse. However, this beauty was the first woman to appear by Di Lie's side, what kind of relationship they had between them, people with discerning eyes could see a thing or two. Yang Zhechong may be dull in this aspect, but he still had some insight, and naturally wouldn't look for trouble.

  Di Lie had already made up his mind that probably no one else would dare to touch Ye Die'er. At this moment, he didn't pretend to be polite and slowed down the horse's speed. When Ye Die'er caught up, he turned his head and said: "Ye lady... Ye young mistress, at this speed, it's really too slow, I'm afraid we won't reach Xiangzhou even by dawn. What do you think? Shouldn't we ride together on one horse?"

  Ye Die'er's already rosy face suddenly became as red as fire, even her ears turned red, her head lowered, and her chin almost touched the tip of her nose.

  Di Lie's heart secretly sighed, no wonder she was a carefully selected tribute girl, the unintentionally revealed little girl's shy and charming attitude was so captivating. To be serious, Di Lie from the future had enlisted in the army directly after graduating from high school, and then relied on his talent and hard work to obtain a spot for overseas peacekeeping. From the age of 18 when he enlisted, he had been struggling in the military camp for five whole years, with almost no opportunity to interact with the opposite sex. Except on TV screens, in reality, he really hadn't met such a beautiful girl before.

  As a young man in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor, how could Di Lie remain unmoved by such a beautiful girl? In the past few days, he had been busy with various matters and hadn't had the energy for this aspect. Now that he had some free time, he gazed at the beauty blooming like a rose, her face flushing with shyness, and couldn't help but lean in close to her delicate ear, whispering: "We're not here to sightsee, but to rescue people." He intentionally emphasized the two words "rescue people".

  As expected, Ye Die'er's expression changed, her teeth lightly biting her red lips, hesitating for a moment before finally resolutely stretching out her white and tender hands towards Di Lie...

  Although it's just a small change, the speed has indeed increased greatly.

  Di Lie's riding skills were barely passable, and now he had to carry another person - just like someone who had just learned to ride a bike suddenly carrying a passenger, swaying and twisting, highly tense in spirit, afraid of making a fool of himself. The pleasure of having the beauty in his arms was reduced to its lowest point.

  Originally, "car" skills are not good enough, even if you drive a BMW with a beauty, you can't have fun! Di Lie, who was sweating profusely, couldn't help but sigh.

  Original!