It is not close from Yunzhou to Xixia Pass. By the time Xin Yanque and Nie Wuzhi's team arrived, it was already the New Year.
There is nothing festive about Xixia Pass in the first month of the year, because just outside the gate, there is an army of hundreds of thousands of lonely bamboos.
It can be seen from the bloodstains on the city wall that it was not easy for Lin Ye to hold on here for more than a month.
Besides, what Xin Yanque saw was the inner city wall.
When Xin Yanque climbed onto the city wall, the Guzhu people's offensive had just retreated.
He walked along the ramp towards the city wall, looked up and saw some soldiers coming down carrying the wounded and corpses.
Xin Yanque stepped aside and waited for them to pass before going up, then he felt something was wrong.
Looking down, I saw that the soles of the shoes were already covered in blood. When I lifted my feet, the feeling of the blood and the soles sticking together was slight but so clear.
He looked at the soles of the shoes in a daze.
Because he feels guilty.
Because he knew that the blood on the sole of his shoe when he stepped on it just now did not belong to a warrior.
He occupies a high position and can be called a proud man of heaven. His red robe shows his dignity.
But at this moment, he felt that the bright red robes he was wearing were so humble compared with the bright red blood on the ground.
He saw the soldiers passing by saluting him sincerely. It was the first time that he returned the salute so sincerely.
When he walked to the city wall, he saw the soldiers resting there. When they saw the bright red priest's brocade robe, the exhausted soldiers all stood up holding on to the wall and wanted to salute.
At this moment, Xin Yanque's feeling of guilt became even stronger.
Before the soldiers could salute him, he bowed his head to the ground.
Such a great gift shocked the soldiers.
"I'm here on behalf of the emperor. Thank you soldiers!"
If he were to be more serious, he should add his identity and say that Xin Yanque, the master of Fengyu Temple, came on behalf of the emperor...
But he couldn't say it, even if he said it this way, it would appear more solemn.
Not long after, someone ran to report to Lin Ye that several noble-looking priests had arrived.
When Lin Ye came over, Xin Yanque was squatting on the ground treating the injured.
"Lord Guanzhu."
Lin Ye saluted.
Xin Yanque shook his head at him, the meaning in his eyes was so obvious... I don't deserve it.
He was not a person with such an unstable state of mind, but what he saw today made it difficult for him to stabilize his state of mind so quickly.
When he came, he thought that Lin Ye's life here would not be too difficult, because the Guzhu people were not difficult to fight, and besides, the Jade Army was defending the city, so it was naturally better than attacking the city.
"Everybody go help."
Xin Yanque turned around and gave instructions.
The priests and Shangyang Palace disciples who came with him were all a little stunned. They woke up after hearing his words and hurriedly ran out to help.
Xin Yanque treated the injured around him. When he got up, his face turned pale, as if he was feeling uncomfortable.
Lin Ye lowered his voice and said, "Sir, please go down first. You may not be able to adapt to this scene."
Xin Yanque shook his head: "If you don't adapt, then adapt as soon as possible."
From the moment he arrived here, he didn't stop until late at night. There were blood stains on his hands, as well as on his gorgeous and expensive clothes.
It didn't look as bright and eye-catching as before, but Xin Yanque felt that this Taoist robe had meaning now.
"I didn't expect it to be so difficult."
Xin Yanque looked at Lin Ye.
Lin Ye reached out for a kettle and motioned to Xin Yanque to extend his hand.
He watched Xin Yanque rinse his hands, and the water was all red.
"No war is easy."
Lin Ye said: "Even a big victory is difficult for a single person."
Xin Yanque was stunned.
Yes, even in a victory situation, some people will die, some will be injured, some may never be able to walk again, and some may never see the light again.
"Sir, please go down."
Lin Ye said.
Xin Yanque asked: "When will you go down?"
Lin Ye said: "I can't go down. I am the commander-in-chief. I told the soldiers that anyone who sees me leaving the city wall can turn around and leave."
Xin Yanque said: "Then I won't go down either."
He found a random place and sat down against the wall. The long breath he exhaled at this moment was truly the feeling of letting out a long breath after being exhausted to the extreme.
It seemed that in the breath he exhaled after sitting down, more than half of his fatigue was exhaled.
"Find some food."
Lin Ye shouted towards Pang Panghai.
Not long after, Pang Panghai came over with some steamed buns in his clothes. These were leftovers from lunch. The meal in the evening had not been delivered yet.
The steamed buns were a little dirty, some were stained with dirt, and some were stained with blood.
After Lin Ye uncovered the dirty parts, he handed it to Xin Yanque.
Xin Yanque looked at the steamed buns and didn't move or speak for a long time.
Lin Ye: "Sir, can't you eat it?"
Xin Yanque shook his head: "I think I'm not worthy of eating this bite of steamed buns."
Lin Ye said: "You will think this way today, you will think so tomorrow, and you won't think so in three days. There is not so much time to be pretentious. If you have the time, it is better to eat quickly and get some sleep as soon as possible."
Xin Yanque was silent for a moment, took the steamed bun and took a bite... It was a kind of satisfaction that food had never brought him.
"When I'm not fighting, I can still eat something warm."
Lin Ye said: "But the Guzhu people are more hateful. Since they came, they have been attacking every day, attacking during the day and at night, so sometimes things like eating have to be replaced, or take time out."
Xin Yanque was silent.
If you want to talk about truth, he can talk about more truths in the world than Lin Ye, and he can express all kinds of profound meanings.
But at this moment, Xin Yanque only understood one thing... The emperor asked him to come here just to show him what war is.
He only knows everything in the world theoretically, but he has not really seen everything in the world.
"Find a blanket for the patron."
Lin Ye turned around and shouted.
Xin Yanque asked: "Are there all the soldiers?"
Lin Ye: "Both."
Xin Yanque didn't say anything more.
Lin Ye pulled over a bundle of fodder, divided it into two halves, and handed one half to Xin Yanque: "Use it as a pillow. If your body is cold, it will be cooler. If your head is cold, it will be too uncomfortable."
Xin Yanque lay down with straw as his pillow.
Looking up, it turns out that the starry sky in Xixiaguan is much more beautiful than the starry sky in Geling.
But who in Geling could have imagined that there would be such a tragic battlefield under such a beautiful starry sky.
"Sir, you really don't want to go down?"
Lin Yewen.
Xin Yanque hummed.
Lin Ye said: "Then don't worry about saving people tomorrow."
Xin Yanque looked at Lin Ye with some doubts in his eyes.
Lin Ye took a breath and said: "You go ahead and kill people. Here, sir, killing the enemy is much more useful than sir, saving people. The Guzhu people came out in large numbers. The masters in their army can occasionally kill them. Sir, kill someone like this."
Yes, it is equivalent to saving many of our soldiers."
Xin Yan nodded: "Okay."
After a while, Xin Yanque turned his head and wanted to talk to Lin Ye, but found that Lin Ye had fallen asleep.
He knew Lin Ye's physique. Even such a physique could make him fall asleep instantly. One could imagine how Lin Ye managed to hold on without going down the city wall for so many days.
Lin Ye is a somewhat mysophobic person, and his body already smells bad.
Lin Ye fell asleep, Xin Yanque couldn't sleep, and Nie Wuzhi, who was lying on the other side of him, couldn't sleep either.
But neither of them spoke. They just lay there and looked at the night sky. They felt that even a soft conversation might wake up the exhausted soldiers.
That's a sin.
He was in a daze, and he didn't know when he felt sleepy. He might have just fallen asleep for a while, when the sound of a gong woke Xin Yanque up.
"Enemy attack!"
Shouts exploded on the city walls.
The soldiers who were still sleeping stood up one after another and picked up the weapons they had placed next to them.
Not long after, they were already standing in their own places, looking outside with stern eyes.
Another night of fighting.
The morning sun had just risen. When Lin Ye saw the Lone Bamboo people retreating, he immediately ordered: "Change the team and come up!"
The team that had been prepared at the bottom of the city began to run up, and the teams that had been fighting for a day and a night were replaced in sections.
Most of those soldiers who were finally able to go down to rest did not speak. They silently lifted up their injured or dead comrades around them and walked down silently.
Lin Ye turned around and ordered: "Those who are going down, please stop by to ask for breakfast and bring it up as soon as possible. The Lone Bamboo people may continue to attack soon."
About half an hour later, the Huotou Army came to the city, carrying burdens and steaming steamed buns in bamboo baskets.
Behind the three or five soldiers carrying steamed buns, there will be a soldier carrying pickles.
The soldiers reached out and grabbed the steamed buns. No matter how dark the fingerprints were on the white steamed buns, they grabbed a few pickles and ate them with big mouthfuls.
For the first time, Xin Yanque felt that freshly baked steamed buns could be so delicious even without eating vegetables.
"so."
Lin Ye broke open a warm steamed bun, put in a few slices of pickled radish, and then took a big bite.
This scene made Xin Yanque feel a little strange.
In his impression, Lin Ye is a very delicate person, especially when it comes to food, he can be said to be particularly picky.
But now, the way this young man eats steamed buns and pickles seems to be much more delicious than those picky delicacies.
"call......"
Lin Ye swallowed a big mouthful and then exhaled.
On this cold winter morning, the white air he breathed out seemed so thick.
"gentlemen."
"Um."
"When will you go back?"
"Finished."
Lin Ye turned his head and looked at him: "Sir, was your Majesty sent to be the military governor?"
Xin Yanque said: "No, I was sent by your Majesty to fight."
He asked Lin Ye: "If you want anything, tell me now. I will send someone to deliver the letter to Yunzhou. Your Majesty is still there. With His Majesty's dispatch, it should be delivered faster."
Lin Ye shook the steamed bun in his hand: "I don't want meat, I just want this thing to be available all the time. Don't let my soldiers drink porridge and eat coarse grains here."
Xin Yanque said: "The food supplies are already on the way. When we arrived, we walked very fast and surpassed the team transporting food."
Lin Ye nodded: "That's good."
He said: "Eating the supplies sent by Dayu will make the soldiers feel more at ease. After all, what we eat now is what I asked them to rob from various counties in Dongbo."
This one is more practical, but actually the meaning is a bit complicated.
Eating the supplies sent by Dayu will prove to the soldiers who are standing here that they have not been forgotten.
"Is the team still enough?"
Xin Yanque asked.
Lin Ye nodded: "Enough, the men recruited from various tribes are also very capable and are all warriors."
Xin Yanque said: "Let's go to Dongbo to grab meat."
Lin Ye glanced at him.
Xin Yanque said: "If anyone is held accountable in the future, Xin Yanque will be held accountable by Fengyu Temple in Shangyang Palace."
He said: "How can you, damn, make men unable to eat meat?"
Lin Ye suddenly smiled.
He said: "They have all run away. There is no place to snatch them. If you can snatch them, do you think I am afraid of carrying them?"