Yang Hao's worries finally came true. They reorganized their team and continued eastward. However, the next day they were overtaken by a Khitan team of 1,000 people at Shaxiong Ridge. This team of 1,000 people met the team that had been broken up on the road.
When the fleeing soldiers of the Khitan cavalry learned that the migrating army that Empress Xiao ordered to find was in front, and that the number of escorting soldiers was only about 3,000, they immediately sent people to report the news back, and at the same time, they rushed over on horseback.
The leader of the Khitan people on this road learned the lesson of Ke Baabao and did not dare to fight with the Song army's convoy. Instead, they gave full play to the characteristics of the cavalry. They advanced and retreated, left and right, and the whole team was as fast as floating.
The wind used bows and arrows to attack and disturb the enemy from a distance, and fast horses to roam and fight. The Song army's chariot formations were of no use, and the three thousand infantry could not fully protect the fifty thousand people. They were overwhelmed by the maneuvering tactics of the Khitan cavalry.
Tired of running for their lives.
Fortunately, there are many hills and dense forests in this area. The two generals Luo Kedi led Helong City and Xu Haibo fought tooth and nail to defend the enemy's rear. Cheng Dexuan and Yang Hao led the people to walk through the forest. The sky had already darkened. After walking through the forest for a while, the sun
After falling into the mountains, the Khitan cavalry did not dare to pursue them in the forest, so they were able to get rid of the pursuers. After Luo Kedi and others completed their task of blocking the enemy, they also pursued them. At this time, there were only more than 2,300 Song soldiers left.
Many people are injured.
On the morning of the third day, the migrating army finally walked out of the forest. Cheng Dexuan walked out of the forest, stood under a tree and breathed a long sigh of relief. He looked up at the sky, looked in the right direction and said: "The Khitans are chasing after us.
We must speed up our journey eastward, order to go down, abandon all baggage, save only five days of rations, and move forward at full speed."
Yang Hao finally couldn't hold it any longer. He rode up to Cheng Dexuan and shouted, "Master Cheng, I have something to say!"
Cheng Dexuan's face darkened and he shouted: "Master Yang, I have made a decision!"
Yang Hao endured his anger and said: "Master Cheng, unless I disobey, we cannot continue eastward. Master Cheng, take a closer look, how many soldiers are there with us? We have lost 1,200 in two fierce battles.
Brave soldiers, now Lord Luo, Hezhi
Hui, Commander Xu. From the generals to the soldiers, who is not covered with wounds? Look at these 50,000 people. Those old, weak, women and children can no longer support such a rapid march. Are you going to let those people
Can’t we leave all our parents and children here and hurry up?”
Yang Hao questioned him in public like this, which made Cheng Dexuan a little embarrassed. He turned pale and shouted angrily: "Yang Dujian, you are afraid of the enemy and are afraid of the enemy. You just block it. What do you want?"
Yang Hao said loudly: "Master Cheng, now we have only two thousand soldiers left. Most of them are wounded. After marching and fighting, it is difficult for the exhausted troops to fight. These tens of thousands of people are moving too slowly, so
If we go south, even if the Khitans discover our intentions, relying on the continuous mountains, their cavalry will not be able to perform as well as
The force is so powerful that we have hope of escaping. But what if we continue eastward? Going further, we will reach a desert plain with a flat area. At that time, the enemy is chasing us, and we cannot escape, fight, or even take advantage of the favorable geographical location.
Is it possible that these three thousand soldiers and fifty thousand civilians will be buried in this wasteland and turned into a pile of bones because of you and me?"
Luo Ke's enemy arm was wrapped with a blood-stained bandage. Xu Haibo, He Longcheng and other generals also had injuries. They reined in their horses and stopped, looking coldly at the two angels, the chief and deputy angels. These two decided to count.
A figure who is responsible for the fate of all living beings.
Cheng Dexuan was furious and shouted: "Yang Hao, you have made alarmist remarks five times and made such shocking remarks. What do you mean?"
Yang Hao showed no fear and said proudly: "Yang Hao's heart can shine like the sun and the moon. How can he have any shady intentions?"
Cheng Dexuan sneered and said harshly: "Yang Hao, you are a small countryman, don't forget that it was the official's golden mouth that made you promoted to be the deputy imperial envoy, the governor of Xixiang, the official's kindness is so great.
We must not forget our duties as ministers. You are beating around the bush just to send these tens of thousands of people to the southwest. Do you dare to say that you really have no selfish motives?"
Yang Hao couldn't help but change his expression after hearing his heart-wrenching words. Several of them had fought side by side against the enemy and fought bloody battles together. However, the generals belonging to the imperial court and the Zhe clan heard that he had lifted the lid. Headed by Helongcheng,
All the generals in the family cannot help but secretly
He wondered: "Could it be that General Cheng really intended to send these 50,000 people to the southwest?" The Forbidden Army general headed by Luo Kedi saw that they looked a little unnatural, and he couldn't help but become suspicious for a moment, and the atmosphere immediately became weird.
Yang Hao laughed angrily, pointed his riding whip at Cheng Dexuan, and cursed: "I can tolerate you if it's just a sideshow, but just watching you lead tens of thousands of lives to a desperate situation, I, Yang Hao, can't bear it anymore. You are a stubborn man.
When we are in dire straits and have no way to call for help, how many lives do you have to compensate for these 50,000 people?"
Cheng Dexuan was so angry that he stood on his head with his eyebrows and shouted sternly: "Yang Hao, you are so brave. You have your own selfish interests. If you don't get what you want, you will attack me. When I return to the Song Dynasty, I will definitely intervene in front of the officials."
You have a copy. Now, hum, I am the imperial envoy, and my words are the words of the Holy One. Who dares to disobey? Stand up and speak!"
He widened his eyes and glanced at the faces of the generals one by one. The generals lowered their heads involuntarily. Cheng Dexuan sneered triumphantly and shouted: "Continue eastward and I will bear all the consequences. Let's go!"
Under his orders, the huge flow of people slowly moved eastward. Yang Hao was so angry that veins popped up on his forehead. He reined in his horse and stood there, seeing the people being driven past him like cattle and sheep, but they were in a low position.
He was so low that he could not resist the imperial envoy who carried out the emperor. Just as he was helpless, someone suddenly exclaimed: "Look, look, another troop is coming from a distance."
"Oh my God, they came from the front. They went around in front of us."
"Da Mao, Er Mao, my dear, hurry up and get into the woods."
"No running around. Anyone who dares to move will be shot without mercy."
"Madam, don't be afraid, my husband is paying homage to me, I will be out soon..."
At the moment of chaos, a military commander standing in front of the horse shouted: "Don't panic, don't panic, it's our army from the Song Dynasty that is coming."
"What?" Cheng Dexuan was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly galloped over, shouting: "Are they the soldiers and horses of our Song Dynasty? Are they really the soldiers and horses of our Song Dynasty?"
The junior colonel pointed to the distance and said, "Sir, look, that team of men, horses, costumes and flags are none other than the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty."
Cheng Dexuan looked intently and saw a little flame-like red tassel on the Fanyang hats on the heads of the troops. His heart suddenly relaxed. He looked up to the sky and laughed and said: "Hahaha, the imperial troops are coming from the front."
Come and meet us, we are finally safe now, hahahaha..., hurry up, hurry up, follow this imperial envoy to greet us, and see which group of soldiers and horses are coming."
Cheng Dexuan was beaming with joy. He rode his horse and whipped his whip to greet the group of people. He had just galloped no more than a hundred paces when a horse from behind quickly caught up with him. The knight on the horse reined in his horse and shouted in a deep voice: "Master Cheng, Don't be rash, this team is a little weird."
Cheng Dexuan was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw that it was Luo Kedi. He couldn't help but lower his face and shouted: "General Luo, you are also bewitched by Yang Hao. What's weird about these people coming from the front?"
Luo Kedi's face was solemn, he did not answer, he just raised his spear and shouted sternly: "Bu Sancai rushed to the yoke formation, be on tight guard."
The soldiers of the Song Army immediately ran forward, stopped in front of the people, and hurriedly set up an The archers are in front, the spearmen, shield bearers, sword and axemen are behind, and the cavalry are arranged in the third row, also for defensive purposes.
Before a hurried formation was completely arranged, the Song Army cavalry had already rushed in front of them. When they saw the Song Army at the foot of the mountain, they lined up to greet them. The big man who came first laughed a few times and picked up the horse. With the bow in hand, he didn't answer. An arrow flew towards him, and it hit Cheng Dexuan, who was dressed as a civil servant and stood blankly in front of the formation.
When Luo Kedi saw this, he hurriedly raised his gun to greet him, and hit the sharp arrow with a "click". He expected that this gun would fly away, but he didn't expect the arrow that came rushing towards him, dressed in command attire. The general of the Song Army actually used a four-stone hard bow made of eucalyptus wood. The spears and arrows intersected. Luo Kedi's arm was already injured, but the wound was split open by the shock. His arm went limp, and the tip of the spear deflected, and the sharp arrow also He veered slightly and flew towards Cheng Dexuan's scalp with a swish. Not only did his official hat fly away, but his bun was also messed up. Cheng Dexuan was so shocked that he said "ouch" and turned his horse away. .
Luo Kedi shouted: "Protect the Imperial Envoy." After saying that, he rode forward and faced the "Song Army Commander" holding a bow. The "Commander" looked surprised when he saw him deflecting his arrow. Suddenly, he drew an arrow with his backhand, and "Peng Peng Peng" fired three arrows at Luo Kedi's chest, but Luo Kedi's envoys tried to deflect them. Seeing Luo Kedi rushing closer, the man picked up his big bow and He took off a big gun from the winning hook and rushed towards Luo Kedi with a fierce look. Only then did Luo Kedi realize that this "Commander of the Song Army" was actually a big man with blind eyes.
It turned out that this "Song Army Commander" was Yan Jiu's brother Lu Yisheng. The Northern Emperor Yelu Xian was suffering from internal disputes and could neither resolve them with force nor give orders to his ministries. Queen Xiao Chuo came up with a plan to recruit Zao and Xiao. Kolu, a great man from the North who had business dealings with his family, secretly assigned him the official position of General of the Southern Academy throughout his life, and gave him countless gold, silver and jewels. He ordered him to pretend to be a forbidden army of the Song Dynasty, attack the Khitan tribe, arouse the anger of the Khitan tribes, and then They also invited the Southern Court King Yelu Wuzhi, the Chief Military Officer Yelu Talie, and the new Great Tiyin Yelu Xiuge to come forward to mediate. Finally, the Khitan tribes gave up the struggle for the throne and unanimously agreed to attack the Han Dynasty.
Lu Yisheng completed his secret mission. He was about to burn the Song army's costumes and flags, but suddenly received a secret order, ordering him to immediately send troops south to intercept the Northern Han people who were migrating eastward. Lu Yisheng had an idea and burned the Song army's flags. The clothing flags were turned out and put on again, but the last time they wore these clothes, it was the people of the Northern Kingdom who harmed them, but this time they were dealing with the Han people of the Central Plains.
However, they could deceive the people of the Northern Kingdom by wearing Song Army uniforms, but they could not deceive Luo Kedi, who was born in the Forbidden Army. Horse thieves valued individual bravery, while the army valued teamwork and were most afraid of independence. Therefore, in daily training and marching charges,
, there are rules for how the queue is arranged. A layman like Lu Yisheng has revealed flaws in the queue before he can get close. Moreover, their scattered formation exudes a faint murderous aura, and they don't look like the people who are welcoming them.
Defeat the enemy with careful thinking and suddenly make you wary.
Lu Yisheng was also alert. When he saw that his hiding place was exposed, he no longer tried to pretend. He immediately took advantage of the Song army's formation and launched a full-scale charge. Although many Song soldiers followed Luo Ke's order and set up defensive formations, they quickly lost speed.
Not so fast. Secondly, when I saw the troops coming at full speed under the banner of the Song Army, I couldn't help but hesitate in my heart. Now their Sancai yoke formation showed many flaws and was attacked by those horse thieves who were best at fighting bad battles.
After entering the formation, the horse thieves were really at home, but the Song army didn't even have time to release their arrows, and immediately retreated.
Most of the officers and soldiers of the Song Army were disgraced, and the veterans of the Benming Division were tired after a series of hard battles. How could they still be opponents when the formation was disrupted? This was really a random blow to kill the master. By some strange combination of circumstances, this dignified and regular division was actually defeated by these
The brave horse thief who was not afraid of death was defeated.
Lu Yisheng originally had more than a thousand men under his command, all of whom were horse thieves who roamed the Northland and the Song Dynasty to rob homes and homes. This time, he sneaked into the Northland to attack and kill various nomadic tribes. After Yelvxian deliberately released the enemy, he succeeded one after another. He became famous for a while and then
Many small groups of horse bandits on the grassland came to join him. In more than two months, he managed to gather more than 3,000 bandits. The troops were strong and the horses were strong. This fight was truly majestic.
The Song army was caught off guard. Once their formation was disrupted, they lost control of their command and control. They had no choice but to fight and retreat southward along the jungle valley. They did not arrive at Fuyun Valley until noon, and then relied on the favorable terrain at the valley entrance to stand firm.
Heel, the people abandoned their horses, donkeys and mules and rushed into the valley, while the Song army fought hard with the horse thieves at the entrance of the valley.
At Fuyun Mountain Pass, the people hurriedly moved forward. After the officers and soldiers were bleeding, Cheng Dexuan stood on a high place and saw that more than 4,000 people who had not had time to enter the valley had been intercepted outside the valley by this surprise "Song Army". More than 2,000 brave soldiers under his command
Now half of the soldiers who were good at fighting have been lost, and I can't help but feel sad about it.
He shouted, drew his long sword and rushed into the enemy formation. Cheng Dexuan's swordsmanship was quite good, but what he lacked was courage and experience. In this rage, his swordsmanship was also sharp, and he stabbed several tough gangsters in succession.
, Cheng Dexuan was so filled with hatred that even if he cut off the opponent's hands and feet so that he could no longer fight, he would definitely kill him with one more sword blow. Looking at his disheveled appearance, it was shocking to see him.
Luo Kedi was afraid that the imperial envoy would make a mistake, so he had to guard him at all times. In the blink of an eye, he saw the deputy imperial envoy Yang Hao himself holding a knife and entering the enemy's camp. Luo Kedi was so anxious that he quickly assigned several more soldiers to guard Yang Hao.
.Yang Hao is not as skilled as those horse bandits who live a life of licking blood every day, but no matter where he kills, he is always followed by several personal guards, some holding long guns, some holding short swords and shields, and some holding crossbows to greet him.
On the flank, he actually killed several tough bandits, but he was unscathed.
There were no more carriages and horses in the valley, and all the carriages were abandoned outside the valley. The burly old man also got out of the carriage, and was supported by Mu En and walked hurriedly in the valley. Suddenly, a stream of arrows flew towards him, and he kept watching behind him.
Mu En, who was moving, couldn't help him with his bare hands, so he yelled and stretched out his arms to cover the back of his neck.
The wolf-fang arrow, which could penetrate heavy armor within a hundred steps, shot through his arm with a pop, and opened a gash on the back of the old man's neck. The old man frowned, but did not look panicked. But that wooden
Enke was annoyed, and he yelled: "Protect the Lord!" He turned around and ran towards the mouth of the valley.
Two big men suddenly jumped out from the crowd and helped the old man to the foot of the tree. At the same time, more than ten big men jumped out from the crowd and ran towards the mouth of the valley after Mu En. The old man called out, Mu En was taller.
With long legs and nimble hands and feet, he darted through the crowd and ran more than ten feet away. His call was still heard. The old man could only shake his head with a wry smile, sit down and let the two big men bandage his wounds.
Mu En rushed to the mouth of the valley, stretched out his hand and strangled the extremely tough arrow shaft in two with a "crack". He pulled out the sharp arrow and tore open his chest robe with a swipe, revealing a dark clump of chest hair and looked up to the sky.
With a roar, he leapt into the enemy's formation.
A horse thief, wielding a single sword, had just rushed up when he saw a huge "baboon" suddenly flashing in front of him. The horse thief was stunned and saw clearly that the baboon's eyes were wide open with anger, its lips were open and its teeth were exposed, and then...
A fist as big as a bowl hit his chest with a loud roar.
There was a "poof" sound. Because the force was too strong, the iron fist broke his sternum and sank deeply into his chest. Because the punch was too fast, all the power came from the horse thief's body.
After enduring it, this fierce and ruthless punch hit him without knocking him away. He still stood there calmly. People who didn't know it thought that this big man with bare chest was a silver-colored wax man.
The head of the gun, that punch is useless.
"Uh... uh..." The horse thief's eyes widened, his body twitched violently a few times, and a large pool of blood flowed down the corner of his mouth. Mu En had already turned around and left, passing by a dead Song soldier.
Picked up the bow, grabbed it with his big hand, took out an arrow from the quiver and thrust it into the ground. Then he stood there like a stone, holding the arrow feathers, picked up three arrows and put them on the string together.
With three arrows clasped, he lightly pulled the bow string, and he suddenly embraced the full moon. As soon as he let go, three sharp arrows shot out quickly, knocking down the three fierce bandits who were rushing to the mouth of the valley side by side.
The dozen or so big men rushed to the entrance of the valley, just like a favor. Everyone picked up their bows and arrows in their hands. Suddenly the arrows flew into the sky, the wind rustled, and when the bowstring moved, some people fell down. It was like a divine help. The two sides were locked in a stalemate battle at the entrance of the valley.
For a moment, it turned into an archery performance by these ten or so big men, either a flurry of arrows or three arrows in one hand, which was dazzling to watch.
Not only did these people shoot arrows accurately, but they also shot extremely fast. With the effort of ordinary soldiers to shoot one arrow, they could shoot at least five or six arrows. There were more than ten big men guarding the mouth of the valley, which was no less than seventy or eighty Song soldiers.
The sharpshooters worked together to stop the enemy. The horse thieves who rushed to the entrance of the valley screamed and fell to the ground one after another.
Lu Yisheng was shocked when he saw the power of the Taniguchi Song Army. He quickly stopped the attack and only ordered his men to shoot at each other with bows. A rain of arrows came and went, suppressing the opponent. Seeing this, Luo Kedi hurriedly ordered his shield bearers to protect the two men.
The imperial envoy retreated from the dangerous situation.
At this time, the people in the valley were walking in a hurry. Both sides were shooting at each other. Many arrows were shot into the crowd and hurt people. People kept screaming, but these people didn't even have the time to take a look. They just stared at their feet.
Move forward hastily, knowing that the farther you go, the greater your hope will be.
The dog was held in the arms of the Taoist grandfather, and her mother opened the way in front and struggled forward among the crowd. The sunshine in the valley sometimes shone on her body, and sometimes it was blocked by the big trees on the mountain peaks. Whenever she walked into the sun, the
The old Taoist put his big sleeves over her head.
The dog lay on Lao Dao's shoulder and looked into the distance, looking for Yang Hao, but in such a chaotic situation, there was no way she could see Yang Hao's figure.
Suddenly, the horse thieves who were fighting against the Song army fired two arrows into the air, drawing two arcs in the air and shooting towards the back of the Taoist priest. The dog who was looking for Yang Hao was frightened when he saw it.
She suddenly stretched out a hand and pointed at the two wolf-fang arrows that were shot down quickly, and wanted to open her mouth to warn, but she was so frightened that she lost her voice. She just pointed with her little finger, with a look of horror on her face.
The two stray arrows were about to arrive in a flash, faster than lightning and flint, and the dog was so frightened that he almost closed his eyes. At this moment, he saw that the old Taoist didn't even look back, he just flicked his big sleeves and rolled them up.
If there was a strong wind and strong clouds, the big sleeves would be pulled back as soon as they were raised, and the two feathered arrows would disappear out of thin air. Seeing such a strange sight, the dog's eyes widened even more, and he was speechless as he said "ah ah".
The old Taoist shook his sleeves, and two wolf-fang arrows slipped quietly from the bottom of his sleeves to the ground. The dog chuckled: "Grandpa Taoist, are you...are you a god?"
The old Taoist smiled and said: "Silly boy, have you ever seen a god as shabby and embarrassed as the old Taoist?"
"The dog has never seen any kind of gods, but...if you were not a god, how could you roll up the arrow with your sleeve? Grandpa Taoist, you have such a good ability, why don't you save everyone?"
"You little kid, no one takes you seriously, but you know how to pity others."
The old Taoist said and looked back, sighing: "In the Tang, Liang, Jin, Han, Zhou, and now in the Song Dynasty, Huang Chao killed people, Wang Xianzhi killed people, Zhu Wen killed people, Shatuo people killed people..., alas, they are coming.
The old Taoist has been watching the killing for decades and has long been tired of it. This is a matter for the emperor, not for me as a cultivator. People outside the country seek the way of heaven, and I can take care of the pain and happiness in the world.
How much did you get..."
"The dog doesn't understand what Grandpa Taoist said."
The old Taoist smiled and said: "Grandpa Taoist is saying that the old Taoist is not a god, and my body and bones cannot save those many people. The spell I just used can only be used three times a day. What do you think I can do? Little baby,
You must not tell others, otherwise it won’t work. Look at how ferocious those robbers are. If you don’t have this magic to protect me, wouldn’t I be killed by you? By then, the old Taoist will definitely know.
I blame you for hurting me. I come to you every night, floating in the air and staring at you. Are you afraid?"
The dog was so horrified that he shook his hands: "Grandpa Taoist, don't scare the dog. The dog is timid. I just won't tell anyone. I won't tell anyone."
The old Taoist chuckled, and the dog looked at him timidly, and then said: "Grandpa Taoist, can you teach the dog this magic?"
"Huh? Why do you, little girl, imitate it?"
"If I learn it, I can protect the people I like."
"Oh? Then who do you want to protect?"
The dog counted carefully on his fingers: "I want to protect my mother, because my mother gave birth to me and raised me. I want to protect Uncle Yang Hao, because Uncle Yang Hao is the best to me. He doesn't let evil people bully my mother, and he also
Give me meat to eat. I also want to protect Grandpa Liu, because when the people in the village were captured by the soldiers, he was the only one willing to let me ride in his car..."
The old Taoist raised his beard and pretended to be angry: "Why, you have learned the skills of the old Taoist, but you don't come to protect the old Taoist?"
The dog's eyes widened and he said strangely: "You know magic by yourself, do you need others to protect you?"
Fuyaozi laughed: "That makes sense, haha, it turns out that you girl is not stupid at all." He smiled and touched the dog's hair. Touching the top of the head would be the most disgusting thing if someone who is not very close to him touches it.
However, when the old man stroked the top of her head, the dog felt a warm feeling coming from his hand, which made her lazily lose energy.
"Grandpa Taoist, have you promised to teach me?"
"Oh, well, Grandpa Taoist priest needs to think about this carefully."
The dog rolled his eyes and promised: "If you teach the dog spells, then when you go to bed at night, the dog will not disturb you with straw stalks."
"Okay, okay, I will consider it, but I only accept well-behaved disciples."
"Isn't the dog well-behaved? If you teach the dog a spell, the dog will beat your legs."
"Hahaha……"
"Well... I'll give you a shoulder slap." The dog continued to seduce.
The old Taoist touched his nose and said nothing.
"I will fan you in the summer and light the stove in the winter."
"It seems a bit like a Taoist boy..."
"You agreed?"
"Hey, I didn't say..."
The sound of fighting like beasts at the mouth of the valley kept coming, and the valley was full of refugees fleeing for their lives in a panic. Only this old man and a young man, in such a tense, cruel, and life-threatening moment, were talking about something irrelevant.
Marginal things, probably... Only this born Taoist and this child who has not yet entered the world can still feel like this in such an environment...
The Song army defended the people while fighting and retreating. They passed through the canyon, crossed a large river about a hundred meters wide but only waist deep, and walked through a jungle in one breath. Only then did they get rid of Lu Yisheng's men and horses.
, stopped on a hillside.
When the danger is gone and people realize that they are still alive, their numb nerves wake up. Those who have lost their loved ones sit there and cry; those whose loved ones are separated are looking for themselves in the crowd of people sitting, standing, falling or lying down.
Family members were crying as they walked; there were also many injured people groaning in pain.
The surviving Song soldiers guarded the perimeter. They silently bandaged the wounds of their comrades, took off their scarred armors, and forced their extremely tired bodies to find some branches and weeds to make fire and make food. The red firelight reflected their faces.
, there was a look of confusion on his face. These warriors, who are much stronger than ordinary people, don’t know how many enemies they will face tomorrow, and they don’t know if they can come back alive.
Returning to his hometown. Depressing, there is a depressing atmosphere everywhere, so depressing that people can't breathe. Yang Hao walked among them with heavy steps, not even daring to look at them. He felt that he was the executioner, if not
If it weren't for his idea, these people wouldn't have abandoned their homes and careers and ended up like this. If it hadn't been for his idea, these soldiers wouldn't have died here in a few bad battles.
In the woods, there was a simple tent that had just been built with grass and trees. Cheng Dexuan sat on the soft green grass and was stunned: "It's so dangerous. I didn't expect the Khitans to disguise themselves as Song troops to intercept them. Fortunately, Luo Kedi saw the flaw."
,otherwise……"
Thinking of Lu Shiyi's vicious arrow, Cheng Dexuan touched his forehead with lingering fear. There was a blood mark on his forehead, which was cut when the three-sided arrow cluster flew upward against his scalp. At this time, it touched
There is still some pain.
"What should we do now? It seems that Yang Hao is right. The Khitan people have indeed begun to send people across the border to intercept them. In the past two days, we have passed through some mountainous and hilly areas. Relying on the favorable geographical location, every time
There was no danger at all, but if we go further to Minggu County, it is a vast wilderness plain. If the Khitans sneak up on it, will we still be as lucky as we are now?
Cheng Dexuan was confused and thinking secretly when a guard came in with a bowl of water: "Master Cheng, please drink some water first. The meal will be ready in a moment."
Only then did Cheng Dexuan feel thirsty and hungry. He quickly stood up, straightened his appearance a little, and then took the water bowl. The soldier quietly retreated. Cheng Dexuan felt a hint of indifference from the soldier, but
He could only smile helplessly. Official authority and power were not effective at all times. In this situation, he could only pretend not to see the silent protests of these big-headed soldiers.
He took a sip of hot water to moisten his throat and was thinking about what to do tomorrow when he heard a few "bang bang bang" sounds. When he looked up, he saw Yang Hao standing at the entrance of the tent with a cold face. It was he who was using the scabbard.
Knocked on the pine wood pillar of the tent a few times.
Yang Hao strode into the tent, looked at Cheng Dexuan and said: "Your Majesty, when we left Chimayuan, His Majesty the Emperor handed over to us 3,500 vigorous warriors and 50,000 sound and healthy warriors.
People. Now...our troops are less than a thousand,
Almost all of them were injured, and four thousand of the fifty thousand people were kidnapped. Many of them, their wives and children scattered, were lying on the ground crying outside. I have humbled myself to make a bold request, please the Imperial Envoy to put the lives of the soldiers and the people first and face our current situation.
situation, immediately change the route of travel."
Cheng Dexuan's face turned cold and he shouted: "Yang Hao, are you still determined to give up? Let me ask you, if we change our route south now and turn west, can you guarantee that the Khitan troops will never come after us?"
Yang Hao said in a deep voice: "No, but the situation now is obvious. Our whereabouts have been closely watched by the Khitans. Going further east, there is a flat plain with a width of three hundred miles, which is where the Khitans hunt.
The best hunting ground for killing people. How do you think we should choose?"
Cheng Dexuan is an imperial envoy, and he is also a member of Zhao Guangyi in Nanya. He does not look at the monk's face but the Buddha's face. Yang Hao does not want to conflict with him unless necessary, but now a decision made by Cheng Dexuan will determine tens of thousands of people.
Their life and death will determine whether the lives of three thousand tiger soldiers were sacrificed in vain. Yang Hao can no longer sit back and watch.
After reaching this point, they would not be able to bring the people safely to the Song Dynasty if they continued. At this point, the Khitans also had no spare power to send the people back to the Northern Han Dynasty. They still sent troops to intercept, obviously with the intention of sharing the same fate.
Would rather this
Fifty thousand people were killed and they were not allowed to be taken away by the Song Dynasty. The vicious reputation of the Khitan people had long been known to the world, and they were not afraid of being stained with blood again. However, once these fifty thousand people died in vain, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty would definitely kill them.
With all the infamy on his back, could it be that Cheng Dexuan couldn't see it?
Cheng Dexuan's expression suddenly changed and he said sternly: "What a joke. How far are we from Minggu now? It's less than three hundred miles away. We took 50,000 people with us, went through untold hardships, and sacrificed the lives of thousands of soldiers.
We just got here, and you actually told me that we should turn around and go south now, and walk down Fuyun Mountain. The farther south we go, the higher the mountains become.
The wider the vein, the tens of thousands of people can't climb the mountain at all. At that time, we can only turn around and go west. It's ridiculous. We have made such a big sacrifice to get here. Are you telling me that we should turn around and go back now? We
Our carriages and horses are gone, and there is not much food left. If we turn around and go back, how many of us can go back alive?"
Yang Hao looked at him sadly and shook his head heavily: "I don't know, I only know that getting to this point is all caused by your insistence on Master Cheng, and you still come to question me? I know that I just turned around and headed south now.
If we turn westward, we have lost the best opportunity. It is possible that not even half of the fifty thousand of us will survive, but... if we continue eastward, we will die without a chance of death. If we turn around and go south, we will survive with a narrow escape. We have other options.
?”
Outside the tent, at some unknown time, the wounded soldiers, captains, Yuhou, and commanders quietly gathered around and formed a huge, dark circle around the imperial envoy's tent. Everyone did not speak, but just listened with bated breath to the two men in the tent.
A heated quarrel between two imperial envoys.
In the tent, Cheng Dexuan's face turned red, and he said angrily: "You can't do it on the left, but you don't know on the right. Do you want me to risk all these soldiers and people? Go south, go west, you only know how to go south, go west, you
Do you know where we are closest now? East, east, and another two hundred miles to the east, we will be safe. At this time, adjust the
Head south? Stupid! Unbelievably stupid! Yang Hao, don’t think that I don’t know what you are planning. You are a member of Cheng Shixiong, and Cheng Shixiong is a member of the Zhe family. The northwest and southwest are vast and sparsely populated. With an increase of 50% of the population, since
It's what they want. You just want to lead them west, just because of Cheng Shixiong's instructions, right? You are basically a member of the Zhe family!"
Yang Hao was also angry. He blushed and shouted: "It doesn't matter who I am. The most important thing at the moment is that we dragged these 50,000 people from their homes one by one with hard and soft tactics. We promised
The purpose is to give them a better life than in the Northern Han Dynasty, not to let them die in vain! Since these 3,500 soldiers eat military rations and pay, the battlefield
It is natural for the dead to be shrouded in horse leather, but it is worth dying. There are still a thousand soldiers outside, including the imperial army and the border army. I, Yang Hao, don't care whether they eat food from the Zhao family or receive pay from the Zhe family, I just
You know, we have fought side by side, we have joined forces to kill the enemy, we are brothers, we are brothers, if we have a way to survive, we must not lead our brothers to death!"
Outside the tent, even though the soldiers had their hands and feet cut off or shot through the chest, they never shed tears. At this moment, many people quietly raised their hands to wipe away their tears.
"You bastard, how brave!" Cheng Dexuan in the tent became angry and shouted angrily: "Don't confuse the public with your monstrous words. I am the imperial envoy, and my will is the will of the officials! In the whole world, is it the land of the king, the shore of the land?
Could it be that, as a royal minister, disobeying the orders of the imperial envoy is disobeying the holy edict, which is treason and immorality, and should be punished for the nine sins! Just..."
Yang Hao was furious, and for a moment all worries were forgotten. He defected to the northwest, originally to seek an official position to repay the grievances of Bazhou, but after so many days, seeing the soldiers fighting bloody battles,
Unknowingly, there was an additional responsibility on his shoulders. He could not be sorry for the sacrifices of so many people and could not let them die in vain.
Yang Hao's blood surged and he risked his life. He shouted: "Don't pressure me with the imperial edict. If the situation is not good, you can choose the second route, turn south and west, cross the Yellow River and move to Yan'an Prefecture. The safety of the people is the most important. This
This is what the official said personally, I, Yang Hao, will not follow you on that path of no return!"
"I am an imperial envoy, how can I allow you to make irresponsible remarks? Even if I lead you to hell, you must follow me without hesitation!"
"If I don't go to hell, whoever loves me will go to hell."
"You are presumptuous!"
"You fart."
"You are so bold!"
"Hey, let me tell you what. If a man dies and a bird looks up to the sky, he will remain alive for another year. Why are you afraid of you? Even if Yang is cut off, the emperor dares to dismount him. Why are he afraid of you, an imperial envoy?"
"you……"
"If we have different paths, we will not conspire against each other. From now on, you and I will part ways and go our own ways!" After Yang Hao said this, he turned around and left the tent, leaving Cheng Dexuan speechless with anger.
When he got outside, Yang Hao saw a dark crowd under the moonlight, all silently surrounding the camp. Yang Hao stopped and looked at them with some shame: soldiers, military academy, envoys, commanders, Dutou, Yuhou, command...,
All the soldiers were looking at him. They raised their hands in unison and gave him a heavy fist.
Yang Hao was startled, his eyes were moist. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. He slowly raised his hands, with his left hand holding a palm like the moon, and his right hand holding a fist like the sun. The fists and palms intersected, and he also raised his hands to the soldiers.
Will give a heavy fist.
With the sun on his right hand and the moon on his left hand, the man is upright and passionate.
In the tent, Cheng Dexuan sat down slumped. It was not that he didn't understand what Yang Hao was worried about, but he could only continue to walk on with the mentality of a gambler.
At this time, he agrees with Yang Hao's opinion and leads tens of thousands of people to turn around and go south. What does that mean? That proves that everything he has insisted on is wrong. Then when everything is settled and rewards are given based on merit,
He has achieved nothing, but what awaits him is a flurry of impeachment memorials from the supervisory envoys.
At that time, he was responsible for the more than 2,000 soldiers who died, he was responsible for the more than 4,000 people who fell into the hands of bandits and were ravaged, and he was responsible for all the people who died in vain along the way. He...he
Can you afford such a heavy responsibility?
If, on the remaining two hundred miles of road, on that vast plain, no Khitan cavalry appeared, allowing him to successfully move these people into the Song Dynasty, then he, the imperial envoy, would be
As the first person to immigrate the people of the Northern Han Dynasty, he will make the greatest contribution and have a huge future at his fingertips. His name will even be left in the annals of painting. Isn't this... not worth the risk?
Even if he fails, as long as he never tries another path, no one can ever prove that the second path will work. Then even if he dies on the journey back to Song Dynasty, he can leave behind a
He sacrificed his life for the country and carried a fierce reputation behind him. Therefore, he had no choice. No matter whether the path he took was wrong or not, he could only continue to go on and tie everyone to him. Wrong
, then he can only make one mistake to the end, and he can no longer look back.
The plan was decided, Cheng Dexuan gritted his teeth and slowly raised his head. The torch inserted diagonally in the tent was burning. The firelight reflected his somewhat crazy eyes, faintly glowing with blood red light. There was a "crack" sound, and the pine resin burned and emitted.
The slight sound sounded like the sound of swords and guns clashing in Cheng Dexuan's ears, and the corners of his eyes twitched...
In the corner of the jungle, there was another big tent, and a torch was burning in the tent. There was also a small fire burning on the ground. A bracket was built on the fire with heavy wood, and a hook was hung with wire.
Luo Kedi sat cross-legged on the thick straw mat that had been cut to serve as a mattress, looking at Yang Hao who was kneeling opposite him with a pair of scrutinizing eyes.
Luo Kedi had taken off his armor, his upper body was naked, and a bloody bandage was wrapped tightly around his chest. It seemed that he was seriously injured, but he looked good. He lifted a bottle full of water with one hand. He poured water into Yang Hao's jar, but his hand didn't even tremble at all. It wasn't until the bowl was full that he put the water jar back on the stand of the fire.
"Master Yang, this place is too crude to entertain guests. The general will offer water instead of tea. Master Yang, please."
Yang Hao did not touch the bowl of water on the ground. He put his hands on his knees and said in a deep voice: "Army Master Luo, you are from the army. You should know the current crisis better than me. After successive bloody battles, our Most of the men and horses were lost, exhausted, and could no longer bear the battle. The people abandoned a large number of vehicles and injured many mules and horses. Although this place is only more than two hundred miles away from Minggu County, given our current situation , if we can't reach any place at all, the entire army will be annihilated, and going forward will be a dead end. We must make a decisive decision and immediately change the route of travel, go south or turn west, only then can we possibly save tens of thousands of lives."
Luo Kedi lowered his eyes slightly, looked at the bowl of rippling water, and said slowly: "Master Yang, you should discuss this matter with Master Cheng."
Yang Hao said in a deep voice: "Cheng Dexuan is originally a smart man, but the smarter he is, the more he will insist on his own opinions and become stubborn, even...stupid than a pig. He still insists on heading east, If he does this, he will drag everyone into the underworld. Commander Luo, here, you are the supreme commander of the army, and I hope you can work with me to stop him."
Luo Kedi smiled, shook his head slightly and said, "Master Yang, he is an imperial envoy. How do you ask the general to stop him?"
"The general will not accept your orders. I hope that Commander Luo can cooperate with me in turning around and heading south."
Luo Kedi sighed and said in embarrassment: "Mr. Yang, although the general will not be granted the emperor's order, but now the imperial envoy of the official family is in the army, he represents the emperor's order, so the general will not be granted the emperor's order. 'Why do you refuse to obey the emperor's orders? Isn't that deceiving yourself and others? When the general came to lead his troops, he received an order to obey Master Cheng's orders in everything. Military orders are as heavy as mountains. Master Yang, with the military order, even if there is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire ahead, I can only do it. Rush up. In the same way, if a military order is given, even if it is a wrong order, I must obey it."
Yang Hao was greatly disappointed. He smiled bitterly and said: "Well, what you are obsessed with may seem absurd to me. But I know that it is because of this kind of persistence that there are many respectable people in the world. I will not embarrass you. Master Luo , along the way, thanks to Commander Luo’s bravery and strategy, we managed to survive until today. Now Yang is retreating to the next best thing, and has one more request that Commander Luo can agree to.”
"Master Yang, please speak."
"Early tomorrow morning, I will lead my troops south. If there are people who are willing to follow, I ask the general not to stop them. They are still alive because of the general's merit and the sacrifice of many soldiers' blood and lives. I believe The general did not want them to die unjustly again. Yang said this and took his leave."
Yang Hao stood up, bowed his hands to him, turned around and left.
Luo Kedi sat cross-legged and looked at him quietly. Yang Hao had just walked to the door of the tent when Luo Kedi suddenly said: "There was a bloody battle today, and the general was injured."
Yang Hao stopped, turned around, and raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised by the topic he mentioned.
Luo Kedi continued: "The general's injury... is very serious. He might be unconscious early tomorrow morning."
"Huh?" Yang Hao's eyes flashed slightly.
Luo Kedi lowered his eyes and said calmly: "In a while, a military order will be issued to inform all soldiers: The journey back to the Song Dynasty will be full of dangers. If something unexpected happens to me or I am unable to control the entire army, I will be led by He Long."
The general of the city will temporarily take over the duties of this general, and all the officers and men will be dispatched and commanded by the general of Helong City."
Commander He Longcheng He is from Cheng Shixiong, which means...
Thinking of this, Yang Hao was surprised and happy. When he looked at the young general in front of him, he felt a sense of awe. He bowed happily and said, "Thank you, General Luo."
Luo Kedi smiled softly and said calmly: "Master Yang, take care!"