On the thirteenth day after the army to aid the South set out, Sima Tulan, who was galloping on horseback, finally caught up with Yi Huaiyu's army. However, Yi Huaiyu was not there.
"The general got separated from us four days ago. We haven't found him yet, and I don't know if he went south first." Deputy General Xu Yi answered fluently and naturally, with a hint of exhaustion in his eyes.
There were tens of thousands of people when we set out, but now there are only more than two thousand soldiers left? Sima Duran stared at Xu Yi dubiously, trying to see something from his expression. Sure enough, Xu Yi's tone after being stared at for a moment
He became much weaker and his eyes began to flicker.
"What we have to deal with this time is Zhao State. The general and deputy generals are all disciples of General Bai Jingfu. Many soldiers fled in fear of fighting. It is extremely difficult to have more than two thousand people left. The general has repeatedly shown his behavior along the way.
I may be discouraged and timid, but I may say it bluntly, maybe the general chose to escape just like those soldiers!"
The world is so big, what can make Yi Huaiyu afraid? In Sima Tulan's heart, that kind of thing does not exist at all. Yi Huaiyu is the boldest and most fearless person in the world, and he will never run away in a fight.
Waiting quietly for Xu Yi to finish speaking, Sima Tulan said calmly and coldly: "Protecting the general is also one of the duties of the deputy general. General Xu only cares about himself but loses the general. Is this dereliction of duty? Also, I think General Xu
You use your left hand to lift the sword and hold the reins. It seems like your right arm is injured?"
"This... the general cannot escape the blame for being separated from the general. When he reaches the southern border, he will ask for a punishment. As for his right arm..." Xu Yi paused for a moment, then squeezed out a stiff smile, "I accidentally fell it.
For a moment, my right arm didn’t work very well.”
His expression was flustered and reluctant, and it was obvious that Xu Yi was lying.
Sima Tulan did not expose him on the spot, but nodded thoughtfully, borrowed an iron sword and a set of bows and arrows from the army, turned his horse's head and ran back along the road.
"Zhang Tian!" Seeing Sima Turan leave, Xu Yi hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his face ashen, "You lead a group of people to follow, be smart and act according to the situation. Maybe you can find the escaped second prince.
"
Xu Yi gritted her teeth and whispered to Sima Turan, but she did not hear it, but this did not prevent her from making preparations in advance. When Zhang Tian led more than 20 men and horses to rush back to the road, Sima Turan was hiding in the wilderness.
In the tall grass. As Yi Huaiyu said to Ou Suiliang, Sima Tulan is naturally alert and alert. Even if she is a little willful and arrogant, her extraordinary courage and courage will not be compromised. For example, in this situation, an ordinary woman
Ding Ran was already at a loss, but Sima Tulan was calm and composed, making a quick decision after seeing through the truth.
After probing along the road and searching for clues, Sima Tulan finally discovered Yi Huaiyu's trace on the third day after returning.
A broken sword was stranded on the gravel river bank. The large blood stain was diluted and spread by the river water. Fortunately, there was still a shallow trace left. Sima Tulan followed this trace little by little and finally stopped in front of the dark stone cave.
Step down.
There are dense green vines at the entrance of the cave, and a few drops of dark red blood are shocking. Two lines of footprints are winding deep into the dark cave, seeming to invite people to search for them. Sima Duran frowned slightly and wandered for a few steps at the entrance of the cave without entering. When he raised his head and looked around,
Suddenly, a figure sprang out from behind and rushed straight towards him. Before Sima Tulan could react, a branch with a sharp break was already pressed against his neck.
"Yi Huaiyu, it's me, Sima Tulan."
There was no panic or struggle. Sima Duran calmly raised his hand to show that he meant no harm. After the branch hesitated for a moment and then moved away, Sima Duran slowly turned around.
Silently covering her mouth and nose, Sima Tulan's nose felt sour and her tears fell uncontrollably.
She could hardly recognize that the person in front of her was Yi Huaiyu.
In my impression, Yi Huaiyu was handsome and arrogant, but the man in front of me was covered in blood and his face was exhausted. He couldn't find the slightest trace of relaxation that he should have. His eyes were red and bloodshot, which made Sima Duran feel heartbroken. She just wanted to see pride.
He is cold and indifferent, but not so downcast.
"Why is it you? Suiliang didn't come?" Yi Huaiyu was quite surprised by Sima Tulan's appearance, and his confused tone could not hide his deep tiredness. He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. Yi Huaiyu dropped the branch and held his shoulders.
It took a long time before he spoke again: "Did you encounter a large army on the road?"
Sima Tulan took a deep breath and held back the tears that welled up: "I met you. I came back to look for you because Xu Yi looked wrong. Don't worry, I'm not being followed by them."
"That's good. Xu Yi rebelled, and the few remaining troops were deliberately dispersed by his deputy generals who joined the army. Now I can only escape back to the imperial capital or go straight to the southern border."
It takes twenty days to get from the imperial capital to the southern frontier garrison barracks. Even if the horse speeds up and is not blocked, Yi Huaiyu's injury alone will take more time. Sima Tulan looked around, and there was really nowhere except the stone cave.
It can be used as a hiding place. After hesitating for a moment, his white palm stretched out to Yi Huaiyu: "Go in first, and I will help you take a look at the injury."
Yi Huaiyu seemed a little surprised. After looking at Sima Tulan's serious expression, he finally compromised and accepted.
"It's rare that General Sima and Master Yao are willing to let you out. Could it be that you ran away from home?" As Sima Tulan supported him and walked into the cave, Yi Huaiyu made a rare joke, "If you anger those two, say
You might have to point your nose at me, curse me, and curse me to die."
"They agreed. I said I would come to the southern border to find out about you."
Yi Huaiyu was speechless for a moment, and after a long while, he chuckled: "What about Suiliang? If he guessed that something would happen to me, he should have rushed over as soon as possible."
"I don't know anything about you two. Anyway, he takes good care of your little wife. Isn't that what you miss the most?" Probably because he also noticed the sourness in his tone, Sima Duran's expression became stiff.
After a moment, he immediately regained his composure and said, "Take off your clothes and let me see where there are any injuries."
There are differences between men and women, and there is no intimacy between men and women. Yi Huaiyu naturally understands this simple truth, but he doesn't mind, especially at this time.
"There were two stab wounds on his back, one deep and one shallow; his left shoulder was grazed by an arrow, but the wound was not deep; the most painful thing was that he hit his ribs when he jumped into the river, which was very painful."
Glancing at the blood-soaked clothes, Sima Duran's heart felt tense for a while - even though Yi Huaiyu said it lightly, she knew that these injuries must have caused him great pain. The worst thing was that she didn't bring any trauma medicine. How could she do it?
Treat his wound? It’s hot and humid here, and if you wait too long, the wound will fester and rot.
Taking a deep breath, Sima Tulan stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave: "I remember seeing a village near here on the way here. You hide it and I'll see if I can find some medicine."
"Don't go. Those people are definitely looking for us everywhere. It's too dangerous to show up at this time."
Yi Huaiyu's worry was understandable to Sima Duran, but she could not let him die from his injuries. After taking off Gao Wan's long hair and hanging it behind her back, Sima Duran looked back, and there was only a faint smile under the hazy sky.