The first day's battle came to an end when the sound of drums ceased. Eleven generals above the fifth rank, including Zuo Wuwei General Mai Tiezhang, Wu Benlang General Qian Shixiong, and Ying Yanglang General Meng Jincha, were killed on the east bank of the Liao River.
When the pontoon bridge was destroyed, the three guardsmen Zuo Wu, Zuo Tun and Zuo Yi were already trapped in the enemy's position along with more than 6,000 people who were crossing the river. No one survived.
Witnessing the death of veteran General Mai Tiezhang for his country, His Majesty the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty was hurt and angry. After withdrawing his troops and returning to the camp, he reviewed his responsibility for the defeat in the first battle and ordered his guards to push Yu Wenkai, the minister of the Ministry of Industry who was responsible for supervising the construction of the pontoon bridge, out of the camp gate and beheaded in public.
All the civil and military officials interceded for Yu Wenkai one after another. The emperor was so angry that he sent an order to demote Yu Wenkai to a civilian position and temporarily replaced him with He Chou, the minister of the Ministry of Industry.
That night, someone was singing a song for leaving the fortress in the military camp, and everyone who heard it burst into tears.
"The emperor will not really kill Yu Wenkai's head, just to appease the soldiers. Who doesn't know that Yu Wenkai and Yu Wenshu are a family, and all the rare things in the palace are brought by their brothers.
!" During dinner, Li Waner sat next to Li Xu and muttered secretly.
His Majesty the Emperor did not allow his female relatives to watch the battle by the river, but Li Waner refused to obey the order and stole a set of soldier's clothes and mingled with the food guard army. When Mai Tiezhang and others launched a desperate attack on the Goguryeo army formation, the little girl cried
It was a complete mess. Fortunately, all the millions of soldiers in the army were in tears, so no one realized the truth that it was a woman disguised as a man.
"The Goguryeo people are so insidious that they actually wanted to use despicable means like setting fire boats downstream. No matter how strong the pontoon is, it will not be hit. What happened during the day is indeed not Yu Wenkai's responsibility!" Li Xu looked at the bonfire in front of him and replied angrily. His
His nose was a bit blocked and his voice was heavy when he spoke. This was because he shed a lot of tears in the afternoon. Although he had only been with Mai Tiezhang and others for less than a month, he was deeply moved by their heartfelt care.
.Especially Wu Benlang general Qian Shixiong, for Li Xu, this person can be said to be both a teacher and a friend. Unexpectedly, in the first battle across Liao, he would lose this friend forever.
"It may not be that the Koreans are insidious. With such a long stretch of river, don't those guys from the Ministry of War know how to send some people to the upper reaches to guard it?" Li Shimin angrily threw a piece of firewood into the fire and cursed in a low voice.
Everyone looked at him, but no one said anything. The Ministry of War was just a decoration, and the plan to attack Liao was almost single-handedly taken by the Emperor. If the responsibility for the death of Mai Tiezhang and others is truly investigated, His Majesty the Emperor must first apologize to the souls of the fallen.
.Everyone knows these truths, but no one has the guts to talk about them casually. For the purpose of conquering Liao, His Majesty the Emperor has successively condemned Geng Xun, the supervisor of Youshang Fang Department, and imprisoned Xu Shanxin and Qintian Supervisor Warlock Yu.
Nowadays, even Duan Wenzhen, Minister of the Ministry of War, has stopped talking "due to illness". How can others still have the qualifications to "chew their tongues"?
"If I were leading the troops, I would take advantage of the Goguryeo people's celebration tonight to cross the river secretly on a raft!" Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Li Shimin stood up, turned around and walked away. He didn't like to protect food.
The current atmosphere in the army has been that since the troops were withdrawn and returned to camp in the afternoon, everyone has been holding their heads together. Except for crying, no one has thought about how to avenge General Mai.
"A bunch of losers, if I were..." The little guy held the knife on his waist with his hand, and his shawl was blown by the night wind.
In front of the fire, everyone's expressions were very sad. Except for Li Xu, no one in their group had really seen blood. It was the first time to see such a large-scale battle, and the shock in their hearts was beyond words. Although everyone
While watching the battle across the river, my heart was shocked, filled with sadness and anger. I wished I could rush to the other side in person and hold the shield and flag for the old general Mai Tiezhang. After withdrawing the troops and returning to the camp, all reason and weakness returned to everyone's bodies.
Come in.
Perhaps after seeing death, they appreciate the preciousness of life more. At this moment, everyone is not only sad for Paoze's sacrifice, but also more afraid of the future in their hearts. Junu is irrational and will not avoid others just because someone has money.
Open your chest. The river is not merciful and will not wash you ashore just because you have read more books.
Although the food guard soldiers do not need to carry swords and charge into battle at the moment, no one can guarantee that one day the person facing tens of thousands of enemy troops will not be themselves.
Although Li Xu had experienced battles, he didn't feel much better than everyone else. He knew better than anyone around the campfire how high the martial arts skills of Mai Tiezhang and Qian Shixiong were.
If you want to be stuck in the military formation, your own meager skills are not worth mentioning. Marching and fighting are not martial arts competitions in the school field, and personal martial arts can play a minimal role here. The coach's command errors, insufficient preparation before the war, any details
They all have a greater impact on the outcome of the battle than martial arts.
"Maybe I should have learned more about the art of war from Brother Xu!" Facing the fire, the young man thought silently. The dancing flames illuminated his face, adding a bit of mystery and maturity to his childishness.
This dinner was extremely boring. Even the beef and spirits ordered by the Sui Emperor to boost morale failed to arouse everyone's mood. After the meal, many soldiers returned to their tents early to rest. Everyone
They all know in their hearts that they are a coward, and no one wants their weakness and panic to be seen. Only by hiding under the quilt can they completely heal the invisible wounds. Maybe after all these invisible scars are numbed
, they can truly be called men.
"Brother Zhongjian—" Li Waner watched Qi Po Ning, Wang Yuantong and others stand up and leave one by one, turned around, and shouted faintly to Li Xu.
"Well, what's the matter?" Li Xu looked away from the flames and asked in a low voice.
"Are you afraid?" Li Waner bit her lips, frowned slightly, and her eyes were brightly illuminated by the fire.
"What are you afraid of?" Li Xu asked defensively. He couldn't guess what Li Waner's question meant. In front of women, men instinctively pretend to be brave.
"I, when I close my eyes, I see Goguryeo people all over the mountains and plains!" Li Waner lowered her head and kept picking at the ashes with the wooden stick in her hand, as if she could dig out some magic weapon for self-defense.
Tang Gong's family background is special, and the little girl has no companions to talk to in Huaiyuan Town. Her brother and father are extremely busy every day, and the younger brother is born to be a fearless person, or he is deliberately acting fearless, it doesn't matter. Therefore,
There are some words she can only talk to herself, but the proposition of death is too big, and talking to herself obviously cannot bring her inner peace.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. If you are tired, I will immediately take a few people to take you and Shimin back to Tang Gong's temporary residence." Li Xu's mind is never as fast as his hands and feet. Maybe it's intentional, maybe he really doesn't understand women.
What does the child need most now? His answer far exceeded Li Waner's expectations.
"I forgot, you have killed someone before." Li Waner turned her head and smiled at Li Xu, with a pair of beautiful dimples on her face. Her skin color was not as fair as the women in Su Chuanbu, but it was very fair.
It was warm and moist, illuminated from the side by the campfire, and some parts of the nose and fingers were almost transparent, like a large piece of red agate that had just been carved.
"I have never killed anyone on my own initiative. It was to protect myself." Li Xu felt a little inexplicably angry, and his voice rose slightly. When the words came out of his mouth, he immediately became aware of his gaffe. He turned his head and quickly looked around.
I took a look. Fortunately, almost all the companions at the nearby campfire were gone. Liu Hongji and Li Shimin were sitting fifty steps away, gesticulating and arguing about something. No one noticed what was happening here.
.
Li Waner lowered her head and continued to fiddle with the ashes. She picked up a few unburned charcoal residues and threw them into the fire again. The bonfire jumped, hundreds of stars shot out, and thunderbolts exploded.
Lifting, floating far away in mid-air.
"I didn't mean it!" Li Xu felt a little guilty and apologized in a low voice. He knew that he was also scared. As soon as he closed his eyes, the first thing he saw was a river of blood and black crossbow arrows, as if he was a member of the bridge builders.
There was no place to hide, and he couldn't look back. But he couldn't say these words, and he couldn't say them to anyone. He was now a captain, and he had to maintain his military dignity. Besides, the other party was a woman, the daughter of his father-in-law and his immediate boss.
"It's okay!" Li Waner gave Li Xu a magnanimous smile and continued: "I'm not saying you kill people, I just want to hear the story of your victory in the Linbu. Shimin hasn't had enough fun yet, and I don't want to be too early.
Go home!"
This reason was very appropriate, at least Li Xu didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then started telling the story of how Xu Dayan trained troops in the Su Chuan tribe and how he helped the Su Chuan tribe defeat the Suotou Xi people's attack. That story
It's wonderful. It can make people temporarily forget the tragic scene they saw in the afternoon. What's more important is that the story has been asked many times. Li Xu can now easily erase all the memories he doesn't want to mention while telling the story.
"You think, our situation in the Sui Dynasty at this time is like that of Su Chubu or Suo Tou Xiren!" After the moment of weakness, the strong girl Wan'er started to care about national affairs again.
"It's hard to say. Su Chuobu and Suotou Xibu are both too small. They can only lose one battle. If they lose once, they lose them all. The Sui Dynasty and Goryeo are both big countries, and they can win and lose many times!" Li Xu thought for a while.
,answer.
This was the conclusion he came to after thinking about it for a long time tonight, but this conclusion obviously did not comfort Li Wan'er. After a while, Wan'er put down the stick, patted the ashes on her hands, stood up and asked, "What about you?
Will you take the initiative to ask for a job in the future? Go to the other side of the river to make contributions?"
"I, I don't know!" Li Xulu was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the other party asked this question. He was indeed confused now. It turned out that when he was with Xu Dayan, he didn't need to think about it. Xu Dayan could do it every time
They arranged what the two of them should do next. When they met Liu Hongji later, he didn't need to worry about the future. Brother Liu would silently plan for him and clearly indicate the path he needed to take. But now, Xu Dayan is separated.
Brother Liu has been promoted. He is used to being arranged by others. He suddenly finds that he has many choices. Every path is full of temptations, but every path seems not so easy to take.
"You are so stupid!" Li Waner suddenly became angry and raised her foot to kick away the wooden stick beside her.
"Second sister, are you looking for me?" Li Shimin was alarmed by the noise here, turned around and shouted loudly.
"Let's go home!" Li Waner scolded angrily. Li Shimin was so frightened that he ran forward and asked in a panic: "What's wrong, second sister, who messed with you?"
"I'm tired, let's go home, don't let mother worry!" Wan'er suddenly laughed again and touched her brother's head and said. Her brother is getting taller and taller, has slowly surpassed her, and is about to grow into a
A burly man. Mother said that a man must make meritorious deeds when he is born, otherwise he will not be respected by others. Moreover, the more humble a person is, the more their merits are valued more than their lives.
"Whoever loves you will die, it's none of my business!" Li Waner muttered before stepping into the stirrups.
"Sister, what are you talking about?" Li Shimin was startled again and asked in surprise.
"I say, from now on, you should study more and use less swords and sticks!" Li Waner scolded loudly, looked back at Li Xu and Liu Hongji, who were following from a distance, and whipped the war horse hard.
The pained war horse jumped forward more than ten feet, spread its hooves, and escaped far into the night. (To be continued)
