Luo Kedi, Helongcheng, Liu Haibo and other generals were sitting there discussing something, when they saw him coming, they stood up one after another.Luo Kedi said in a hoarse voice: "Master Yang, none of us have ever been to this barren land, and it will take a few days before we can go out, and now we don't know it at all. Now even our soldiers..., food and water can't support us. It's been a few days, if this continues..." This road was his choice, even though someone once scolded him that it was better to rush to Minggu, even if he was killed by the Khitan people who had been waiting there, it would be a happy death, and it was better than turning back, such a half-dead man Suffering, but none of these generals had any complaints against him. Yang Hao didn't say anything, but he was very grateful in his heart.Hearing Luo Kedi's words, he sighed in shame, and said: "This is all my fault. I didn't expect to escape all the way. Not only did I lose all my supplies, but everyone's physical strength was too exhausted. This kind of trek, I... brought everyone to a dead end."

Luo Kedi hurriedly said: "My lord, don't say that, the Khitan people have already grasped our intention to move eastward, and the wilderness of nearly two hundred miles outside Minggu City is their best place to stop them, they are not there It’s no wonder that we deployed heavy troops to wait for us to throw ourselves into a trap. It’s only our fault that we didn’t heed your lord’s dissuasion early on. If we had gone south and west earlier, with our full supplies, we wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess.” Yang Hao smiled wryly and said, "What's the use of saying this now? Not only the common people have lost all hope, but even me..., alas!"

Luo Kedi said: "Master Yang, the last general is discussing with the other generals. If we go on like this, we will end up at a dead end. I think, should we send people out and find a way to transport food back? In this way, we People who go out have hope, they can last for a few more days, and they can go faster. If we are going out here, and the outside is transporting food in at the same time, it will save more than half the distance and time, and it may save us. lives of these people." Yang Hao stared straight at him without saying a word. Luo Kedi asked strangely: "Master Yang, what's wrong with you?"

Yang Hao said shyly: "Send a few people out, it's done. But look at this barren land, are there any signs and identifiable routes? Send people out, they got the food, how can we fight with our large group of people?" Contact? They really brought food and grass, how do they know where we have gone, and where to meet us? In this unmarked wilderness, even if they bring 10,000 people, they will pass us by. Can't find the other party either." Several generals were stunned when they heard this, and the excitement that was originally overflowing on their faces was instantly wiped away, and Luo Kedi couldn't help feeling stunned. How can I contact you?How to contact?He smiled bitterly, and sat down on the ground slumped.A few people stood or sat, like stone carvings and wood sculptures, standing there silent for a long time.The sunlight dragged their figures little by little, for a long time...

It was late at night, and Yang Hao had just fallen asleep on the sand, when Fan Lao Si hurried over and said in a low voice, "My lord, my lord, get up quickly." Yang Hao was woken up, he sat up abruptly, and said in surprise, "What happened?" "My lord, keep quiet," Fan Lao Si looked around and said nervously, "My lord, talk aside." Yang Hao got up in a hurry, followed him to the side, and asked, "What's wrong?" Fan Lao Si whispered: "My lord, a person just died." How many people are not dead these days?Yang Hao was a little numb, he said in astonishment: "Who is dead, a general in our army?"

Fan Laosi shook his head and said, "No, he is an ordinary citizen. However, the Taoist priest we captured said that this man had the plague. My lord, it looks like a lowly job. I heard from his family that he was doing well this morning. , but he became ill in the afternoon, and he was finished as soon as the sun went down. My lord, if our team had the plague again, it would be really unresponsive and ineffective. The subordinates did not dare to publicize it. Otherwise, if the news spreads, I am afraid that half of our soldiers will flee." Yang Hao's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said: "Come on, let's go and see if anyone knows this letter."

Fan Lao walked around and said: "Fortunately, no matter whether someone is sick or dead, others don't bother to ask. Now, besides Liu Shixuan and me, there are a few guards who are absolutely trustworthy. Only that person's family and that Taoist priest know. They are all under control. My lord, in an emergency, there must be no kindness to women. Do you think we should take all that family and that Taoist..." His palm slashed downwards, Yang Hao stopped suddenly, but he didn't look at him, but at a bonfire a few steps away, a few people were sleeping beside the bonfire, and two people were sitting, he suddenly A figure was somewhat familiar, and he couldn't help walking over slowly with light steps.

It was a woman, from Yang Hao's perspective, only her side face could be seen, this woman was the woman who was dragged into the ditch by the rogue for a sip of water in the evening and raped.She was sitting cross-legged, holding a child in her arms, and a man was kneeling beside him. He covered the water bag with his body, secretly gave the child a few sips of water, then quickly put the water bag back in his arms, watching There was a little water stain on the son's lips, and his simple and honest face showed a bit of joy: "Madam, thanks to you, otherwise my son would..., where did I get this water, this is our life-saving water. "

The woman pressed her son's face, and said quietly: "This water... is... I begged for it from a kind-hearted man." "Who is so kind-hearted? I can't ask for a drop of water after I have spoken all kinds of good things for my husband. This afternoon, Mr. Niu exchanged two ingots of gold for a water sac. For such a great kindness, you should lead me to thank him." "This... um..." The woman groaned, her expression a little flustered, at this moment, they suddenly noticed Yang Hao who was quietly standing aside, the man immediately pressed the water bag hidden in his chest tightly, for fear snatched by him.The woman suddenly recognized Yang Hao, even though Yang Hao was not wearing official clothes or a waist knife, she still recognized Yang Hao at a glance.

Her face suddenly became pale as snow, without a trace of blood, like a prisoner waiting to die, she looked at Yang Hao desperately, her body trembling uncontrollably, and there was a look of begging in her eyes. Yang Hao suddenly understood, he looked at the man, and then at the child under the age of one in the young woman's arms, his eyes were a little hot, he approached slowly, and said softly: "Sister-in-law, although it is hot during the day, it is cold at night. Be careful not to let the child catch the cold." Gently teasing the child's face, Yang Hao smiled at the man again: "I gave the water to this sister-in-law, unfortunately... I only have this little, let's hold on, even if It's for the children, I will definitely take everyone out, definitely"

Patting the man's shoulder lightly, Yang Hao suddenly got up and strode forward.Fan Laosi followed behind, saw Yang Hao walking, suddenly raised his sleeve and wiped the corner of his eyes...
The dead body had been tightly controlled by Fan Laosi's people in a remote corner, and his family gathered together, sobbing softly.The old Fuyaozi sat cross-legged on the ground, still looking half asleep, but his face was also somewhat heavy. Yang Hao strode over, cupped his hands and said, "Master, please speak this way." Fu Yaozi nodded slightly, stood up, and followed him to the side.Fan Laosi made a weird gesture towards his subordinates, and the soldiers immediately scattered around, forming a faint encirclement gesture towards them, and quietly clenched the handle of the knife, Fuyaozi glanced at the corner of his eyes, and turned away indifferently Yang Hao. Yang Hao asked solemnly: "The Daoist is good at medicine?" Fu Yaozi nodded slightly and said: "I know a thing or two about Danshi Qihuang's technique." Yang Hao asked again: "That man... really had the plague?" "That's right, this disease attacks very quickly. Once infected, it only takes half a day to attack and kill people quickly. The harm is even greater than that of weapons." Yang Hao's heart sank, he walked back and forth a few steps, and said: "Once the epidemic spreads..., Daoist, other people...I mean his family members, is there any possibility of contracting the disease?" Fu Yaozi shook his head and said: "Now there are no symptoms of the disease, but whether he is the only one suffering from the plague among the tens of thousands of people is still unknown at the moment." Yang Hao frowned and said, "This is what I'm worried about. Tens of thousands of people, if the plague really spreads, it's really..." He raised his head eagerly and asked, "Does the Taoist master have a cure for this disease?" Fu Yaozi let out a long sigh, shook his head and said, "Poverty Dao can be cured, but without medicine, Poor Dao is helpless." Yang Hao raised his head in disappointment, looked at the star-studded sky, and said with a wry smile: "I have done everything I can do. The rest is up to you, and I hope God will take pity on us and give us a way to survive." .” He turned his head and called, "Fan Laosi." Fan Laosi immediately rushed over, holding the handle of the knife, gave Fu Yaozi a murderous look, and said, "My lord, please give me instructions." "You bring a few people, cover your mouth and nose with a cloth towel, and get some firewood to cremate the corpse on the spot." "Yes, my lord, and..." Yang Hao was about to leave, but when he heard the tone, he looked back and saw Fan Laosi winking at him, aiming at the Taoist, Yang Hao suddenly slapped his forehead and turned around and said: "Yes, I have been dizzy these days, and I also Confused. That person’s family and the Taoist leader, you take them away from the brigade and take care of them. If there is no abnormality by tomorrow morning, you can release them. But they must be strictly instructed not to make any noise and cause chaos. Necessary panic." Fan Lao Si was stunned, and had no choice but to reluctantly say yes.Fu Yaozi was a little surprised, and when he looked at Yang Hao again, there was a trace of strangeness in his eyes. Yang Hao walked back impatiently, imagining the appearance of countless people suffering from the plague and dying unspeakably, he couldn't help being in a state of confusion.In a daze, he was suddenly knocked down by a person, who groaned, couldn't stand up, and fell beside him.Immediately after seeing a small figure pounced on the person, the person immediately shrieked and shook off the black shadow, not expecting the black shadow to pounce on him again at an astonishing speed, biting his crotch fiercely. Face. Yang Hao was taken aback, and thought that there was some small beast hurting people, he took a closer look, only to see that a child threw himself on the man, biting him fiercely, the man patted and beat him repeatedly, screaming incessantly , but couldn't get rid of the child, a few people stood beside a bonfire in the distance, looking at this side, but no one came to take a closer look. "Stop!" Yang Hao sternly stopped, and stepped forward to lift the child's vest. When the child heard his voice, he immediately shouted happily: "Uncle Yang Hao." Only then did Yang Hao realize that this brave wolf-like child was actually a dog, and Yang Hao couldn't help being surprised and surprised: "Dog, what are you doing?" As soon as the dog saw him, the ferocity on her face disappeared completely. She pouted her mouth and was about to cry: "Uncle Yang Hao, this villain stole our water bag while my mother was asleep. The water that the master distributes every day is only a little, and this water bag is saved by my mother just in case, this is a bad person, Uncle Yang Hao, you have to help me." Yang Hao was furious when he heard that, he stepped forward and grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him up. Looking at the man's appearance, he was even more angry: "It's you? Are you a vegetarian when you're the official? How dare you commit crimes against me again and again.” It turned out that this man was a hooligan who forced the woman with a water bag in the evening.This bastard used his own water bag to innocence, and then came to steal someone else's water bag, Yang Hao was trembling with anger, if he had a steel knife in his hand, he would be split in half like a wooden stake at this time, no matter what. The man didn't resist when he caught him, he just laughed and said, "You want to kill me? Come on, come on, I, Dong Shiliu, never thought that I could get out alive. One more day to live is just one more day to suffer." Sin, I’m afraid of everything now, except death.” Yang Hao said furiously: "You want to die, but you come to steal someone else's water bag?" The man sighed, and murmured: "I really want to die... that's why I want to be happy before I die, but... I want to commit suicide, but I can't be cruel to myself. I'm so thirsty. That's why you want to steal water. Now that it's in your hands, you can just kill me. Anyway, I just died two days earlier than you, and you will come to accompany me eventually, haha, haha... " Yang Hao became murderous, and said sternly: "I will not only kill you, but I will cut you alive and let you stay here as a lonely ghost. You don't have to worry about us, we will definitely go out!" "Hey, haha, ridiculous, ridiculous. Why do you go out? Do you know how many days it will take to walk from this desert to the Meridian Valley with abundant water and grass? With the speed of this large group of people, it will take at least seven days, seven days Hey! Hey, so what if we get to Meridian Valley, there is still no food, and it will take another ten days to get to Guangyuan City from there. My God? It would be more refreshing to go down to the 18th floor of hell." Yang Hao's body shook violently, and he cried out: "What did you say? Could it be that...you walked this way?"
Dong Shiliu, who wanted to die, was brought in front of several generals. He gritted his teeth and refused to say anything. General He of Helong City, who had been asking for a long time with a pleasant face, turned his face. After some torture, Dong Shiliu became a little ghost. The bridge of his nose was broken, all his teeth were knocked out, blood was dripping from his nose and mouth, and one hand was curled up like a chicken claw because all five of his fingers were twisted.Dong Shiliu couldn't bear it any longer, and screamed and confessed. It turned out that this person, like Yang Hao, was from Bazhou Prefecture.He was sentenced to death by the government for being drunk and fighting for prostitutes.As a result, Zhu Zhu, who was re-examined by the court, had not yet come down, so he escaped from prison.If he wanted to escape, he naturally couldn't go to the Central Plains. The further south he went, the stronger the government's control, so he had to flee to the northwest. But because the several roads leading from Bazhou to the northwest are under the control of the imperial court, in order not to be caught by the government, he took an ancient road that he heard about from the prisoners in the prison.There was an old thief in that prison who had walked this road many times. He drew the route to Dong Shiliu, and Dong Shiliu memorized the route by heart. Yang Hao and the others are walking on this ancient river. He has walked this road step by step, and he still remembers the desperate experience of those days, so how could he not remember this road?After Dong Shiliu crossed this line of death, he wanted to go further south to Guangyuan City, but when he got near Guangyuan, he found that his sea arrest notice was still posted at the gate of the city, so he turned and fled north again. He simply slipped to the Northern Han Dynasty. Who would have thought that this time, the army of the Song Dynasty would catch all fish, shrimps, crabs and turtles in a net, and bring him back as a death row prisoner? . When he first took this road, he made full preparations in advance, food, drinking water, and some emergency medicines, all of which were fully prepared, so he almost went to despair. Now Yang Hao, the migrating army He left all his luggage at the entrance of Fuyun Valley, and when he thought about it, how could he make it to Meridian Valley alive? After figuring out the ins and outs of the matter, Dong Shiliu was taken down, and Yang Hao called several generals to sit around the bonfire with an excited expression on his face: "Generals, I think...you have discussed in the daytime, and now there is landed." Luo Kedi and the others were also extremely alert. Hearing what he said, they immediately thought of Dong Shiliu. Luo Kedi said, "My lord, could it be that you want to use Dong Shiliu to rescue us from trouble?" Yang Hao said: "That's right, this person has walked this road before, and even went to Guangyuan. It is simply God's pity that he sent us this guide. I mean, he sent people to go there on a fast horse day and night. Guangyuan asks for rice grains, and then sends them back with chariots and horses. At the same time, our brigade is also rushing forward with all its strength. One will go head-on, and the other will come back. This will save more than half the time. We want to escape from this place. Impossible, impossible." The generals immediately cheered up when they heard this, Liu Haibo thought for a while, and said: "The official once issued an order that the two imperial envoys can recruit the local government for rice, civilian service, and even officers and soldiers to help. Let's ask for food from Guangyuan and call for civilian service. Escort, you have to be a courteous imperial envoy to have this right. Now... but Master Yang will go in person?" Yang Hao pondered for a while, and said: "No, it is my idea that the army returns westward. Yang swears to live and die with all the soldiers and the common people, and he will never leave." Helongcheng said impatiently: "Master Yang, if you don't leave, who will go? If someone else has gone, how can they have the right to recruit food, civil service, and officers and soldiers." Yang Hao hesitated and said, "If... how about we invite Mr. Cheng to come?" Luo Kedi, Xu Haibo, He Longcheng and other generals all shook their heads when they heard this, and even the soldiers behind them shook their heads like rattles. He said: "Master Yang is an upright gentleman, so we must guard against plotting by villains. Then Cheng Dexuan can't wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood. If you let him go to Guangyuan, isn't that giving someone a knife?" Yang Hao shook his head and said: "General He's thinking is wrong, Yang is not unprepared for him, but he is not alone in this matter, and tens of thousands of lives are at stake, no matter how much he hates me, Yang Hao, he will never Cheng Dexuan is a smart man who dares to make a move on this matter, he will not do such a stupid thing for the sake of quick time without regard to the benefits." Yang Hao thinks this way, but the others dare not place their last hopes on the person who is now under house arrest. Even Xu Haibo, a general of the Forbidden Army, opened his heart and said without fear: "Don't be afraid of 10,000, just be afraid In case, if Cheng Dexuan doesn't work hard, or intentionally procrastinates, what will we do at that time? Now it seems that we can only rest assured if Mr. Yang is asked to go. Don't worry here, you will take away the Jieyue , we wiped our faces and refused to recognize his status as an imperial envoy, what tricks can he play." All the generals spoke, but Yang Hao had no choice but to agree, "Okay, since that's the case, let's ask Dong Shiliu to draw a map. Even if it's not very accurate, if there are mountains and rivers beside the Ziwu Valley, it's okay. Easy to find, you rest at night and walk in the daylight, and don't lose your way. When you reach Ziwu Valley, rest there and wait. According to our marching speed, it will take seventeen or eight days to go to Guangyuan from now on. However, I ride a fast horse and travel day and night. It only takes three to four days. As soon as I arrive in Guangyuan, I will immediately open the official warehouse to collect grain, recruit mules and carts, and send the grain back as quickly as possible. If everything goes well If so, it should arrive at the Meridian Valley at about the same time as your front and rear feet." Luo Kedi cheered up and said: "Okay, that's it. In the early morning of tomorrow, Mr. Yang will please set off. At the end, the news that the imperial envoy will go to Guangyuan to transport grain will be announced to all the soldiers and civilians. It will definitely boost the morale of the army and everyone Insist on going to the Meridian Valley to join the imperial envoy. When the water and rice carried are exhausted, the last general will also kill the remaining few horses to feed everyone's hunger, and it should be able to make it to the place." The next day, at dawn, Yang Hao hurriedly set off with Fan Laosi, Liu Shixuan and several other soldiers, and Dong Shiliu, who had a blue nose and a swollen face, and the veteran Fuyaozi went with him.Yang Hao was worried that the plague would spread in the army, so he had to bring back some medicinal materials when he went to fetch food. Since Fuyaozi knew the principles of medicine, he naturally had to bring it with him. This is a strange team, a monk who doesn't care about world affairs, a death row prisoner who fled to the Northern Han Dynasty, a servant who wanted to be an official and then returned to Bazhou to avenge his revenge, and several horse thieves who joined the army. None of this group of people is a hero for the country and the people, but the important task of saving tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians is now on their shoulders.They galloped into the wilderness, the golden sun shone on their shoulders, carrying the last hope of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians...