On January 19, the 78th year of the Tang Dynasty, the westernmost defense line of Yuanzhou, Tuyuan Fort, was covered with war clouds.
The city of Ningzhou was destroyed, the three gates of Xisha Fortress collapsed, and countless people were displaced. Everyone knew that Cheng Tang would not give up like this, nor would the Qusu Tatars give up like this, and war was about to begin.
Yuanzhou lost the protection of Changning Pass and Ningzhou and became the last line of defense to defend the capital.
Tuyuan Fort stands alone on a small hill. It is where the Yuanzhou city defense army is stationed. It is also the forefront of Yuanzhou's front line.
At the foot of the hill is the Fuyuan River, which flows southward. The Fuyuan River is wide, gentle, and has fertile land. There are dozens of villages on both sides of the river.
In early spring every year, the melting ice and snow in the Beili Mountains causes the Fuyuan River to rise. People along the river must beware of flooding. However, this time it is still winter and the water level is not high. It is a good time to sail without any hindrance.
Board the ship from Tuyuanbao Pier in Yuanzhou and head southeast. You can reach Jinyun Pier in Beijing in five days at the fastest. It is faster and more convenient than traveling by land.
Bai Zeqing wandered in the prison car for more than three days before arriving at Yuanzhou Tuyuanbao Pier.
What I saw along the way were abandoned or burnt villages and fields that were uncultivated and trampled by horse hooves. The Qusu Army almost crushed the villages outside Ningzhou City into ruins. The surviving refugees could only go eastward.
, there is no other direction to go.
On the bank of the Fuyuan River, a group of ragged old women and children supported each other and walked eastward with difficulty. There were only a few broken cars in the team, with some rice and grain on them. A few children and old people who were really unable to walk were sitting on the cars.
His expression was full of panic.
They are all weak and weak, and have basically fallen to the back of the pack among the refugees heading east.
The carriages and horses of the Northwest Iron Cavalry were approaching, and the vibrations on the ground made them aware of the great crisis. Several farmers picked up hoes and sickles, wanting to protect their families as much as possible. They relaxed slightly when they saw the long eagle and black flag of the Northwest Iron Cavalry.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but still quickly moved to the side of the road, staring at the black-armored cavalry with vigilance.
The biting wind blew from the river, causing some old and weak people in thin clothes to huddle up. Although the winter in Yuanzhou is not as snowy as Ningzhou, it is still very cold.
The future is uncertain. Thinking that if Yuanzhou can no longer accommodate the refugees, they will have to go to the capital to seek survival. They will have to sleep in the open and have insufficient food. It is not known how many people will arrive alive. Some old people in the team have shed tears.
A child sitting in the car glanced across the river inadvertently. He suddenly pointed to the middle of the river in surprise and said: "Grandpa, there is a big boat there."
The old man who was walking staggeringly next to the car looked up and was stunned. He saw more than a hundred boats of various sizes in the middle of the Fuyuan River going upstream. One of them was a huge and sturdy building boat with a tree on its bow.
There was a big flag with a big word "Shi" on it.
There were many soldiers on the ship, and more than 20 warships around it protected the large ship in the center, followed by cargo ships filled with baggage.
The old man's exclamation made everyone else turn to look. The knowledgeable people in the refugee team couldn't help shouting: "This is the navy of the Shi family in the southwest, right? Why did they come to Yuanzhou?" Seeing the Shi family
The navy clipper and the soldiers on the ship were all brightly armored. Their already weak legs were almost unable to walk.
Bai Zeqing couldn't help but stand up and watch while holding on to the log of the prison cart.
At this time, there seemed to be some commotion on the bow of the building boat. Bai Zeqing clearly saw several people slowly walking out of the cabin on the top floor. One of them stood out from the crowd and stood on the bow of the boat, stroking the railing and looking towards the shore.
This man was wearing a plain robe and a blue cloak. His appearance was invisible from a distance, but he could only clearly see the man waving towards the Northwest Cavalry team.
Bai Zeqing then murmured: "It looks like we have to take a boat, which is good, it won't be so bumpy."
She lazily sat back in the prison car, her eyes wandering, and suddenly saw a middle-aged farmer with a simple appearance among the refugees. A cold light flashed in his eyes when he saw the boat, but he immediately lowered his head, still
He looked depressed and worried, and he touched his right leg from time to time. It was randomly wrapped with some strips of cloth, which must be an injured leg. No wonder he fell behind with the old, weak, women and children.
Bai Zeqing frowned. Did he see it wrong? He shouldn't. That means there is something wrong with this person.
The building boat was still sailing, and a leading boat had already docked. A small cavalry team of thirty people disembarked first. The leader was a female general wearing silver soft armor. She was very beautiful, with long eyebrows.
As soon as he saw her, he knew he was a heroine.
She wore a black cloak, a silver whip hung around her waist, and a crossbow hung behind her back. The followers behind her also wore silver soft armor and carried crossbows.
Riding alongside the female general was a Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest had a face like a crown jade, a handsome and tall figure, and was equally fat and thin. The azure robe on his body was somewhat tattered, and his hair was tied loosely with a green bamboo hairpin.
This attire looked out of place with this group of cavalry, and instead looked like they had slipped in from among the refugees.
When this cavalry team approached the refugee team, it naturally dispersed and faintly surrounded the refugee team. The refugees couldn't help but panic.
The female general turned her gaze to the Taoist priest. The Taoist priest's gaze passed over everyone one by one. His expression was casual, but his eyes were ice-cold and clear. Everyone who was swept by his gaze felt as if they were almost seduced by the King of Hell.
The Taoist priest's eyes fell on the injured middle-aged farmer, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips, he casually nodded at him with the wine gourd in his hand, and said: "You, come out."
The middle-aged man hesitated and limped forward.
After the Taoist priest nodded, the female general looked at him all the time. It wasn't until he walked to the horse that the female general asked coldly: "Are you Qusu's spy?"
The farmer looked confused, as if he didn't know what the female general was talking about, and just defended in panic: "The villain is not a spy, he is a farmer with his duty. His leg... his leg was injured, so he was left behind by the villagers.
"
The female general smiled coldly and said: "Lie!"
After saying that, the whip in his hand pierced the farmer's throat like a poisonous snake.
The farmer's eyes flashed and he acted as if he had no time to react. He just screamed and closed his eyes. As expected, the long whip whipped back at the first touch. The farmer was already covered in cold sweat and fell to the ground softly in fear.
The female general looked down at him coldly for a long time, then turned back to look at the Taoist priest, her eyes full of inquiry.
The Taoist priest took a sip from the wine gourd, shook it again, said "ouch", frowned and shook his head: "No more wine."
The female general was not angry, so she picked up her horse and walked towards the northwest cavalry, and the other knights also rode away.
The middle-aged farmer breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up when he heard the Taoist priest who fell behind the team sigh lightly: "It's a pity that we can't kill mortals."
At this moment, the farmer felt a cold and sharp foreign object piercing his throat. He struggled to look up and saw that the female general in front had retracted her hand and looked at him coldly.
The refugee let out a suppressed exclamation, and the plum blossom dart embedded in the farmer's throat was dyed red with blood. He made a "hoo ho" sound in his throat, fierce anger and confusion flashed in his eyes, and he fell to the ground dead.
The Taoist priest "tsk tsk" twice, let the horse walk to the female general's side, then nodded and said: "I would rather kill the wrong one than let him go, that's cruel enough."
The female general raised her eyebrows and murmured in a low voice, "You obviously asked me to kill him." However, she did not argue. Instead, she saluted on her horse: "Thank you, sir, for your help in the screening." Then, without waiting for a reply, she shouted to the northwest cavalry team.
Said: "Shi Ling of the Southwest Navy is asking to see the Major General."
