The mountain was vast and green, and the wind blew past, and there was a whistling sound from afar. It has been five days since we escaped from Gaojiu City.Without horses, it would take at least a month and a half to reach the imperial capital.Xue Wenyi's injuries have always been serious. Two days ago, two more women started to have a fever. Misfortunes never come singly. My illness also relapsed.After I recovered from my illness, I have not been able to recuperate well. In addition to the hard work when I broke the city, I woke up this morning feeling unwell and had a fever. Come down and have a rest.

After the Gaojiu City was broken, the 100,000 imperial troops marching south were completely annihilated, and I'm afraid not many people escaped.Although we flew thirty or forty miles by plane, if anyone escaped from the city, they should catch up with us.But we have been rushing for five days, and we have not encountered a single escaped imperial army on the road.And after I also fell ill, only Wu Wanling, Zhang Longyou and the two women were considered strong among the eight members of the group of four men and four women.Half of the eight fell ill. It would be a miracle if they could return to the imperial capital.

I pulled back a branch and looked at the misty valley.This is roughly the boundary of Tianshui Province. Tianshui Province has always been known as "the mountains are endless, and the people are brave and aggressive". It originally had a population of more than 10 million, and it was the most populous among the provinces of the empire. The most important province, the governor of Tianshui is also the chief governor of the four provinces in China and the West.After Cang Yuegong's rebellion, Li Tuan, the governor of Tianshui, joined the rebel army, but the Xifu soldiers stationed in the north of Tianshui Province were still loyal to the emperor. The two sides divided Tianshui Province into two parts, the north and the south.Marquis Wu crossed the south of the Yangtze River. The first battle was to break through Fudun, the capital of Tianshui Province, with the Xifu soldiers, and beheaded the former governor Li Tuan. Under the command of the empire.However, the Xifu soldiers and the Governor's Mansion's soldiers have been attacking and defending for many years, and two-thirds of the 10 million people in Tianshui Province have died. There is no human habitation at all in the area where we are now.After there was no human habitation, those trees grew surprisingly lush, obliterating half of the mountain road.

During the siege of Gaojiu City, we almost killed nearly 800,000 soldiers and civilians. If you count the number of people who have been killed along the way since the Southern Expedition, it is a little scary to think about it. I put down the branch I was holding, and the branch bounced back with a "hoo".Although the flames of war are everywhere, spring is still here. New shoots sprouted from that branch, and when you hold it in your hand, you seem to feel the fresh sap flowing under the bark. But people are not branches.The dead can no longer be brought back to life. I was thinking a little dejectedly, and my head was dizzy for a while, and I walked back to the camping place.A woman even washed Xue Wenyi's wound with clean water, while the other two women were lying on the ground, looking very tired.They are more sick than I am, I still have a little shaky when I walk, and it is difficult for them to even walk.

Zhang Longyou was smashing two stones, when he heard me coming, he stood up and said, "General Chu, take a rest." I picked a stone and sat down, and said, "What are you doing?" "I want to find flint, so I can make a fire." "Did you find it?" He threw the two stones, his face was depressed, and he said: "No way. If there is some gunpowder now, a fire can be made without flint, as long as there are some sparks." I couldn't help but smile wryly.When he escaped from Gaojiu City, where would he bring a fire bomb?In that final battle, all available weapons were used.I said, "Don't be discouraged, think again."

At this time, there was a sound in the bushes to the west.I turned my head and saw Wu Wanling coming over with a bunch of wild fruits.Zhang Longyou sighed and didn't speak, but I also knew what he meant. After eating wild fruits for a few days, acid water came out of my stomach.The fruits in early spring are mostly sour and astringent, which is really not delicious. Wu Wanling put the pile of wild fruits on the ground and said, "Commander, let's eat something." "Where's the woman who went with you?" Wu Wanling grabbed a few fruits and walked towards the two lying women, saying, "She's still picking some, she'll be here soon."

Zhang Longyou also came over to grab two fruits, sat beside me and said, "General Chu, do you feel better now?" I took a bite of the fruit, and felt that my head was as heavy as if it was filled with lead water, and I could barely lift it up, but I still said: "It's better now, let's continue on our way tomorrow." In order to take Xue Wenyi away, we made a drag bed out of wood. Wu Wanling and I took turns dragging Xue Wenyi. Now I have difficulty walking, let alone dragging Xue Wenyi.The other two women were also seriously ill. Although they were not unable to walk, they were panting after walking for a short distance, and they could only walk ten miles a day at most.Compared with about sixty miles a day at the beginning, the difference is only too far.At this speed, it would take more than half a year to return to the imperial capital.

Wu Wanling said a little uneasy: "Commander, can you still go?" Yes, can I still go?Although I said it was "better", I also felt that I was more powerless.I said, "Oh, it would be great if Yetai was here." Wu Wanling said: "Mr. Zhang, don't you also know some medical skills?" Zhang Longyou scratched his head, smiled wryly and said: "Although I know a little bit about medicine, what I have learned is stone medicine, which requires the combination of water and fire. I don't understand the herbal medicine of Doctor Ye." In fact, I also know that my illness is not too serious. If I can eat enough and rest well, Xue Wenyi's injury will heal within a few days.I looked at Xue Wenyi who was lying on the side. His face was already pale and pale, but because of the fever, there were two abnormal blushes on his cheeks.The woman was peeling a wild fruit and feeding it to him.Because Xue Wen was too weak, his eyes were half-opened and half-closed, and it was extremely strenuous to eat a wild fruit.I said, "It goes without saying. Mr. Zhang, is there any other way to make fire?"

When they escaped from Gaojiu City, no one thought of getting fire, so no one brought a fire scythe.There were fires everywhere in the city, but as soon as they left the city, because they couldn't light the fire, they couldn't eat the few small animals that Wu Wanling had killed.If you can make a fire and cook a pot of hot soup, it will be more effective than medicine. Zhang Longyou was biting a wild fruit, thinking ecstatically, suddenly slapped his thigh, and shouted: "That's right, drill wood!" I was startled by him, he stood up and said, "I read a book that said drilling wood can make fire!"

How can you make fire by drilling wood?Zhang Longyou may also be a bit old-fashioned.But looking at his cheerful appearance, it's not easy to spoil his happiness. Zhang Longyou did it as soon as he wanted to, and he didn't eat the wild fruit. He pulled out his waist knife, cut off a straight branch, picked a dry tree trunk and cut it in half, put half of the trunk on the ground, and then sharpened the branch. Standing on the tree trunk, he rubbed his hands desperately.As he rubbed it, the branch drilled a hole in the half of the wood like a drill bit, and a little burnt mark appeared on the side.

It actually works.I straightened my body and stared at Zhang Longyou's hand.His hands rubbed faster, but there was only a little smoke, but not even a single spark. Zhang Longyou rubbed for a while, put down the branch, shook his hands and said: "No, it's not fast enough, it's okay if it can be faster." At this time, Xue Wenyi who was lying on the side suddenly said softly: "Make a bow..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly coughed.The woman helped Xue Wenyi knock on the back, Zhang Longyou said: "What are you doing? What are you doing?" Xue Wen also coughed for a while, and said: "The drill bits used for drilling wood are used..." Just after saying two words, he coughed again and again.Zhang Longyou helped him up, tapped his back and said, "Mr. Xue, speak slowly." The things Xue Wenyi makes are very unpredictable. The telescopes and flying machines he made are all unheard of to me. With his help, maybe they can really start a fire?Wu Wanling also walked to Xue Wenyi's side, supported the other half of his body and said, "Xue Gongzheng, speak slowly." Xue Wenyi coughed a few times and said, "Have you seen the drill bit I use?" We all looked at each other and shook our heads.He broke off a twig on the mop bed and said, "I'll draw it for you to see." Zhang Longyou said happily: "Exactly. Mr. Xue, be careful." He stretched out his feet and pulled out a small space on the ground, and said, "Draw here." Just as the branch in Xue Wenyi's hand touched the ground, a woman's exclamation suddenly came from the west. That was her voice! My heart twitched violently, I didn't know where the strength came from, I stood up suddenly, and pressed the Baipi knife on my waist with my hand.Wu Wanling's expression also changed, and he asked, "What happened?" I said, "Stay here and watch, I'll go and have a look." Before Wu Wanling could refute, I rushed out.At this time, I only felt that my whole body was on fire, and I didn't feel tired at all. The sound came from the west.Originally, Wu Wanling and her were not far away, but I ran along the road for a short distance, but there was no one. Am I looking in the wrong direction? As if a chill hit me, I suddenly felt weak all over.It was not only because of illness, I know, but more because of my concern for her. There were obvious marks of broken branches on the branches. I ran a dozen steps along the road, anxious, and suddenly, there was a roar of a wild animal from the dense leaves. This is the rat tiger! I almost screamed.Rat tigers are the most ferocious beasts today. Although they are not as ferocious as real tigers, they are much more numerous and uglier than real tigers.Did she meet a rat tiger? The distribution of rats and tigers is extremely wide, and the territory of the empire is vast, from north to south, from east to west, and rats and tigers are distributed almost everywhere.If she meets Shuhu alone... I didn't dare to think about it anymore, and shouted: "Hey! Where are you?" Shouting in his mouth, there was a sudden pain in his heart.I still don't know her name. Those four women have never told us their names, and I never asked them.Maybe, in my heart, I deliberately used my indifference to them to cover up my thoughts.I have always felt that as a soldier, there really shouldn't be any affair.When they broke through Gaojiu City, when they saw that woman fell to her death, the bottom of my heart was only pity.And the kiss Bai Wei gave me when she left just made me feel a little strange.Even for Su Wenyue, who I promised to marry her, I don't know if I really have the kind of "love" that sons and sisters often talk about.However, for this woman whose name I have never known, since that day when I heard her playing the pipa in Wuhou's tent, I found that I was always thinking about her. Unforgettable. Every time life and death, I always think of her. Maybe, for her, I have real love? I shook my head violently.My forehead was hot, and I felt that everything in front of me was a little blurry.I don't even know if something happens to her, will I still have the courage to live. My voice probably can't carry very far in the woods, and my voice is at least twice as soft as the thunder drum.I couldn't hear her, and it was possible that I couldn't hear her shouting.But at this time, the rat tiger's voice sounded again. This time, Shuhu's roar was much closer. You are right! I was overjoyed for a while, and following the sound, I pushed aside a bunch of branches and rushed forward. The trees in front of me are much thinner. After walking through this section, I can vaguely see a pale yellow figure.I quickened my pace and rushed over. The forest suddenly broke off at the edge of the cliff, leaving an open space of five or six feet in front of the cliff.As soon as I rushed out of the woods, I couldn't help but gasped. She had already stood on the edge of the cliff, about a zhang behind her was a big mouse tiger. That mouse tiger had probably never seen anyone before, and was approaching her cautiously, but she was already standing a foot or two in front of the cliff, as if a gust of wind could blow her off. She was still wearing the light yellow silk shirt.The mountain wind blew past, and the silk shirt was blown close to the body, outlining a beautiful figure.During these days of fugitive life, she has maintained an excellent tidiness.I have never dared to ask their origins, but I can also guess that she must have come from a fairly educated family.When she was standing with that extremely ugly rat tiger, she still didn't panic. She didn't go back to the place where we camped, maybe it was to lure the mouse and tiger away. Impulsive in my heart, I pulled out the Baipi knife suddenly, and shouted: "Beast! Come here!" There are no trees on the edge of the cliff, so my voice is very loud.The rat tiger was startled by my shout, stopped in its tracks, and turned its head. I held the knife tightly, only to feel that the sweat in my palm had soaked the handle of the knife, making the knife feel a bit cool.I walked forward slowly and stared at the mouse tiger closely. Rat tigers have different habits from real tigers.When a real tiger attacks its prey, it often jumps up and catches the prey, but the mouse tiger slowly bullies it, and suddenly rushes up to bite the prey.This rat-tiger is longer than me. If it bites me, it might break my leg with one bite. I walked forward slowly, probably because I had never encountered such a prey, the rat tiger even retreated. Now, I'm only a foot away from it.I intentionally turned slowly in another direction to lure the rat tiger away, so a straight line was formed at this time, and she and I were about a foot away from the rat tiger. I dare not come any closer.The mouse tiger's movements were extremely fast, if it was within one foot, I didn't know if I would be able to react, maybe I wouldn't know until the mouse tiger bit me. I stopped.Suddenly, my feet hit the ground. There were a lot of broken stones on the ground, I kicked a stone up and flew straight towards the rat tiger.The rat tiger flashed sharply, and the stone hit it right on the cheek. As soon as the stone hit it, I felt a blur in front of my eyes, only to hear her scream suddenly: "Be careful!" The mouse tiger moved so fast it was almost invisible.I jumped back suddenly, a few feet back, the squirrel-tiger gritted its teeth, and almost wiped my pants, and I could feel a burst of heat on my legs. so close. But don't let me rejoice, Shuhu has rushed over again.At this time, before I could even stand on my feet, I felt a stench hit me. I gritted my teeth and leaned forward suddenly.Because he had never stood firmly, he leaned forward and fell on Shuhu's back.The rat tiger's fur is thick and hard, and it's really uncomfortable to fall on it, but it's the same way, I lifted my foot, just in time to dodge the rat tiger's bite. Although I escaped again, my body was lying on Shuhu's back.I knew in my heart that if I didn't fight back, I would really become a piece of meat in Shuhu's mouth.Fortunately, although there are many dangers, I still hold the Baipi knife in my hand.I swung my knife and slashed at Shuhu's back. With a "crack", I chopped off a bunch of Shuhu's hair, and the blade also ate half an inch into the flesh. Baipi Dao blows hair and breaks hair, and even the head of a snake man can be cut off with a single knife, but the skin of the mouse and tiger has always been famous for its firmness. Most of the soft armor in the army is made of mouse and tiger skin. Half an inch is considered invaluable.It seems that after more than ten months of southern expeditions and dozens of battles, my arm strength and sword skills have improved.But where is the time to be happy now?The mouse tiger was wounded by me with a knife, and immediately felt pain, roared loudly, raised its head, and lifted its two front paws off the ground. I was originally placed on Shuhu's back like a pole, and when Shuhu stood up like this, my body would immediately slip off Shuhu's back.I knew in my heart that once it hit the ground, the mouse tiger would definitely bite wildly under the pain, and I might not even be able to return to the imperial capital by then.But now there is really no other way, my heart swelled, and I grabbed Shuhu's left ear with my left hand. Shuhu's ears are relatively pointed and long. I held them in my hands and rolled them up, wrapping their ears around my hands.Rolling like this must have made it feel pain, it shook its head violently, and was about to bite me.I had no choice but to let go of the Baipi knife that was still cutting on Shuhu's body with my right hand, and grabbed its right ear.It swung its head to the right, and I hung on its ear like this, and my body was thrown to the left by it like a wooden stick. The Baipi knife also fell to the ground, and from the wound on its back, there was blood. The ground sprayed out and poured me all over. This wound is not fatal, my knife probably aroused the ferociousness of the rat tiger even more, it couldn't bite me, and threw its head violently from side to side.I just felt that my body didn't belong to me anymore. I was thrown by it and hit its back non-stop. My mind was spinning and I couldn't even tell up, down, left, and right. It was as if I was tied to a windmill and was moving extremely fast. speed is turning.I gritted my teeth and grabbed its ears tightly with both hands, not daring to let go. I was thrown by it twice, and suddenly, my left hand loosened, and I lost my balance, hanging on the right side of Shuhu, and I only heard another loud roar from Shuhu. I've screwed off its left ear! Fortunately, Shuhu was in pain and only focused on howling, so he didn't take advantage of this moment to bite me.With a bow of my left arm, I hugged the rat tiger's neck, and my heart beat wildly. If the rat tiger keeps jumping and throwing, it will definitely throw me off my back.what should I do now? Even though it seems that I still have the upper hand now, I know that my advantage is too unreliable. I'm afraid that the mouse tiger is even more ferocious in addition to the pain, and I will be torn to pieces by it soon. I raised my head, looked at her who was standing two feet away, and shouted, "Run away!" If she can escape after I die, it will be worth it. Unexpectedly, she didn't walk away, but took another step forward. "Fool!" I cursed loudly, but my heart was inexplicably sweet.And only then did I realize that I was actually thinking that if I was going to die under the jaws of this mouse and tiger, it would be best if she couldn't escape. The mouse tiger jumped suddenly and jumped towards her.I was taken aback, and I used my left arm to try to deal with Shuhu with the martial arts I learned in the military academy.This move is to strangle the neck and hold your breath. If it is a person, I will definitely make him breathless with such force.But Shuhu is probably different from human beings. I have used all my strength, but there is no difference in it, and it jumps again.Fortunately, I was strangling its neck tightly, but I was never thrown off by it. But this way, it was only a few feet away from her. I have seen her face clearly.Now we are only a few feet apart, if it weren't for this extremely ugly mouse and tiger in between, it would be a beautiful thing.I shouted: "Quick! Give me the knife!" Her body shook, she dodged to the side, and ran over. My Baipi knife fell nearly two feet away.She went to pick it up for a while, I think I can still hold on.But how did she give it to me after she got the knife?Now I don't dare to let go of my hands at all. Once I let go, how can I restrain this almost crazy rat tiger?But at this moment, there is no room for me to think too much, I can only take one step at a time. The mouse and tiger are still fidgeting.The body of this rat tiger is about the same length as mine, but its strength is as big as two or three people.If I hadn't grabbed its ears earlier, how could I have fought this beast?Even so, when it was struggling desperately, I still had no room to resist, so I could only let it move around. "how to give you?" I heard her voice behind me.When she arrived at this time, her voice was still cold, as if I was not in a critical moment of life and death.I yelled, "You throw it over!" My words must have startled her.But if you want to give me the knife, there is really no other way.I heard her say: "Then I'll throw it over.... Be careful." The last three words no longer had the calmness just now. Even though I was dizzy, I could still hear the trill in her words. After all, she was not as strong as she appeared. Even though I knew it wasn't the right time, I still smiled to myself. The knife "bang" and was thrown to my side. She threw it very accurately, the knife was no more than a foot away from me, and jumped on the ground full of stones.At this time, the mouse tiger just took me and threw it towards me. I gritted my teeth, let go of its ear with my right hand, and grabbed the handle of the Baipi knife. This is a gamble.If I can't catch it, it's time for her and me to die. My finger touched a round hard object, which was the handle of the Baipi knife I was used to touching.Thank God, I couldn't help but muttered silently, turned my hand over, and the knife was already in my palm.At this time, Shuhu lost control of his ears, and immediately turned his head to bite me. I exerted my left arm and roared: "Beast!" The Baipi knife in my right hand was thrown, and the tip of the knife was inserted behind Shuhu's ear. In the military academy, the teacher who taught assassination told me that the human skull is extremely hard, and it takes a lot of effort to split the skull.However, the back of a person's ear is the gap in the skull, and a knife can be inserted from behind the ear, and the knife can enter the brain with one stroke, killing the opponent on the spot.People are like this, and I think beasts are not too different. Sure enough, the tip of the knife was behind the mouse tiger's ear, and half of the knife sank into the mouse tiger's brain, but it immediately seemed to be caught by something and couldn't penetrate. That's because the gap behind the ears is not as wide as the blade of Baipi Dao, and the knife got stuck in the mouse tiger's skull.But this was enough to kill the rat tiger. It was biting into my big mouth and suddenly snorted, spit out a stench, and slowly collapsed to the ground. Until then, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.I was originally straddling Shuhu's back, but as soon as Shuhu fell down, I lost all strength and sat on it, panting heavily. Did I really kill a rat tiger by myself? My heart is still beating violently, I can't believe it. She suddenly said, "Are you okay?" Her voice seemed so peaceful again, as if nothing happened just now.But I know that when she said "be careful" to me with a vibrato just now, she has already revealed her true thoughts.Although her tone is cold now, I can also hear the concern in her words.I smiled and said, "It seems that I am not the one who died." I tried to stand up, but my body softened and I almost fell.At this time, I found that my underwear was cold, as if it had just been fished out of the water. Is that wet from the blood spurted from Shuhu's body? I looked at my chest.On the chest, Shuhu's blood was almost dry, and my arm was also covered with scars from the fight just now, many wounds were bleeding, but they were all superficial wounds. I unbuttoned the soft armor to see if there was any injury on my body.Unexpectedly, as soon as I untied it, I saw a burst of steam escaping from my chest.During the fight just now, I didn't feel it at all, but the sweat all over my body had already soaked my underwear. "Be careful, it's easy to catch cold." Her voice was still so cold.I couldn't help raising my head, smiled at her, and said, "Thank you for your concern." My words made her a little embarrassed.I didn't dare to look at her again, fastened the soft armor and said: "Go back quickly." When I was about to leave, I looked back at the Shuhu who had fallen on the cliff, and couldn't help shivering.It was almost all luck to kill the mouse tiger just now, and with her help. From the looks of it, my courage is far inferior to Marquis Wu's.I heard that when Marquis Wu beat Shuhu to death, he was also my age, and he did it alone with his bare hands.So compared, I am really far behind. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a little depressed.Turning her head, she was already walking forward.I caught up a few steps and said, "Go behind me." She was startled and said nothing.I walked ahead of her without saying a word. It seems that there are not many rats and tigers in the mountains, and it is safe to go back.When she walked past the place where she picked wild fruits just now, she said, "There are still a few fruits here." When she walked over with Ye Guo in her arms, I suddenly said, "Don't be alone in the future." She raised her head and looked at me, her big eyes were extremely bright, as if she was about to speak.I avoided her gaze and walked forward again. When I was approaching the campsite, I suddenly smelled a burning smell.The smell is not too strong, but there is some sweetness in it, which is very pleasant. That's the smell of fire.My heart burst into ecstasy, it seemed that Zhang Longyou finally lit a fire.I turned around and said, "Quick, there's a fire!" Sure enough, when I pushed aside the branches and walked to the campsite, there was already a fire lit beside Xue Wenyi's bed.A hole has been dug on the ground, and some branches are burning in the hole, and sparks are constantly bursting out. Zhang Longyou and Wu Wanling each took a branch with some wild fruits and peeled birds on it, and roasted it on the fire , that fragrance came from here. When Wu Wanling saw me, she stood up abruptly and said, "Commander! What's wrong with you?" I looked at my chest, probably the soft armor on my chest was covered in blood, which frightened him.I smiled and said: "It's okay, bake it quickly, I'm so hungry." Wu Wanling looked at his hands, and said with a smile: "Thanks to Mr. Zhang and Xue Gongzheng, we have started a fire. Commander, this bird meat is cooked, you eat first." I was really hungry, so I just took a bite.Wu Wanling's barbecue skills are not bad, the wild fruit is sour and astringent, but after roasting, it can be used as seasoning for the bird meat, and the bird meat also has a delicate fragrance.I don't know what kind of bird it is, it is very fat and tender, and when I bite it in my mouth, the delicious rolling taste almost makes me swallow my tongue.After taking two bites, I suddenly tore off one of the bird's legs, handed it to her who came over and said, "Come, eat." She took half a piece of bird meat and ate it in small bites, very gentle.I smiled and ate hard like a starved ghost reincarnated.After a while, I gnawed all the half of it, but she still had a lot. I licked the oil on my finger and said, "It's delicious, it's delicious." Wu Wanling smiled and said, "Commander, are you feeling better?" Hearing what he said, I was also shocked.After sweating profusely, I feel relieved of my illness, and now I am full of energy. I was exhausted from fighting the rat and tiger just now. After eating half of the bird meat, I seem to have regained all my strength.I said: "Really, that mouse tiger even cured my illness." "Rat Tiger!" Zhang Longyou and Wu Wanling yelled at the same time, and Xue Wenyi, who was being fed bird meat by a woman, also looked at me with wide eyes.I said, "Yes, I killed one just now. What's the matter?" Wu Wanling looked into the distance and said, "I'm afraid there will be more in this mountain?" "Don't think too much, rats and tigers are easier to deal with than snakes." As I said that, I shivered again.Thinking of the Snakeman's offensive like a blazing fire, and the 100,000 army that was wiped out in Gaojiu City, no one dared to say that they were not afraid. Zhang Longyou and Wu Wanling also remembered the scene when they defended the city, they were a little dazed.I shouted: "Don't make too much noise, brother Wu, what kind of bird did you call? It's very fat." Wu Wanling also seemed to wake up from a dream, and said with a smile: "That's a bamboo chicken. There are so many of them in the mountains, it's almost as if they were picked. If Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xue were not lighting a fire, we would not have so many delicious ones." miss a meal." I said: "Get a few more, if you can cook soup, it will be even more beautiful." I was talking to Wu Wanling, and Zhang Longyou was also moved. He smiled and said, "By the way, I'm going to look for pottery clay. There must be some in this mountain. Make it into a shape and burn it. It will be a very good pot." We talked and laughed, forgetting the current situation for a moment.When I was talking and laughing, I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes from time to time, and I couldn't help but feel a pain in my heart. What would she do if she could reach the imperial capital? No matter what, I can't give her to Dijun. Zhang Longyou was lucky and found the clay the next day. Because we found clay, we were excited and refused to leave. We immediately found a place to camp, lit a fire with the kindling we brought yesterday, and watched Zhang Longyou make pots. Zhang Longyou's craftsmanship is not very good. Although he said it easily, he said that he can make a good pot if he finds clay, but the slabs he made are all crooked. If you use such a pot to cook things, you may not be able to cook them well. I can't pour it out.Fortunately, there was a woman who was very skillful and made a very beautiful cauldron with ears, and also made some somewhat bulky spoons. When the sky darkened, the first pot of chicken soup came out.We scooped up the soup with that kind of big stupid spoon, almost in the blink of an eye, the first pot of soup was snatched up by me, Zhang Longyou, Wu Wanling, three big men, even Xue Wenyi only had time to drink a spoonful. After eating the boiled broth, the condition of the two women recovered immediately, and Xue Wenyi's injury also showed signs of improvement. He was unconscious for most of the day and night, but now he has the strength to speak up.It looks like it might get better on the road. After eating, everyone's mood improved a lot.Zhang Longyou and Wu Wanling were chatting with two women, and Xue Wenyi was also half lying on the mop bed talking to the woman who often took care of him.When they first escaped from the city, they were always somewhat hostile to us. What a coincidence, it happened to be four men and four women.I thought, and couldn't help but look at her sitting by the fire. By the fire, she was tuning the lute.Even after escaping from Gaojiu City, she did not lose this pipa.With the adjustment, she dialed out a few out-of-tune notes from time to time. It would be nice if we could find a secluded place with her that no one had ever been to. When I realized that I had such an idea, I couldn't help laughing.Her appearance is still as cold as ice, those women are already familiar with us, they told us their real names, Marquis Wu gave the names of these six girl musicians after flowers and plants, and their real names are better than those given by Marquis Wu Be nice.When asking her, she just smiled lightly and said, "Call me Feng." Feng is the name given to her by Marquis Wu.No matter what her name is, she is always her.I thought, without looking at her again, thinking silently in my heart. After the food was settled, we moved a lot faster.The mainland of the empire, bounded by the great river, has a total of nineteen provinces in the south, nine in the north, and ten in the north. Tianshui Province is the largest province in terms of territory. The folk customs are extremely fierce, and it is said that "the sky is not sunny, the land is not flat, and the people are not at peace." Fudun City, the capital, was built next to mountains and rivers. It was the leading fortified city when the emperor conquered the kingdom. It took more than three years to be considered captured.Later, considering that the people in Tianshui Province were too brave, the emperor ordered that the walls of all cities in Tianshui Province should not exceed five feet.However, even if the city in Tianshui Province is not more than five feet high, its defense power is not much weaker than that of other cities with a height of ten or twenty feet. We entered Tianshui Province on the fifth day, and on the ninth day, in a torrential rain, we arrived at Wendang County under the jurisdiction of Fudun Prefecture. There is a big river in Wendang County, which is a tributary of the big river.As far as the tributaries are concerned, the river is wider than the trunk.When the great emperor conquered the kingdom, because Fudun City was indestructible, he first cut off the east, west, north, south and north wings, and finally besieged Fudun City.The final battle was to build a shipyard in Wendang County, where fifty ships were built, starting from here.We came along the road and came upon the ruins of the shipyard. On the riverside, there are still some work sheds, but there are still some beams left.This iron water river has accumulated the water volume of dozens of small rivers around it. Once the spring and summer rainy seasons come, the water will surge. Now those beams and columns are erected in the water, like the skeletons of some giant beasts.The age is so long that even the wood has turned black. In the heavy rain, every straight pillar is black and shiny, as if it were casted by solid iron.The heavy rain poured down, and thunder rolled in the air from time to time, which was the first thunder of spring. Holding on to the umbrellas made under the guidance of Xue Wenyi, we struggled to find a way that we couldn't see clearly in the rain.Futun City is the first big city we can rush to.Before Marquis Wu's Southern Expedition, Tianshui Province had been at war on its own for nearly a year, with a very small population. We haven't seen a single person in the past nine days, but we have passed through many villages that have been slaughtered, and there are piles of corpses in a mess. It's like walking through a ghost land. Some of those were done by bandits who rose up in the chaos, and some of them were probably done by us too.After the Southern Expedition, in order to collect food along the way, Marquis Wu once ordered that all those cities that stood firm and refused to surrender within two hundred miles should be killed, and no one would be left behind.I don't know how many people there used to be in Wendang County. In Tianshui Province, where the massacre was the worst, it is possible that there is not even a single person in the whole county now. Because Xue Wenyi couldn't do it himself, the umbrellas were very rough. If it was a little rain, it would be fine, but in such a heavy rain, it would be useless at all.When the banana leaves on the umbrella surface were torn apart by the wind and rain, the rain kept falling.Tianshui Province is known as "the sky is not sunny", and the name of the province is also called "Tianshui". In fact, it got its name because of the abundance of rain.We passed through Tianshui Province during our southern expedition, which happened to be the dry season, and we have never experienced the power of the weather.Being dizzy by the rain on the road, I wanted to find a place where I could stay temporarily.However, along the big river, the woods are mostly sparse, and the big trees are lonely.When we were in the military academy, we were taught a long time ago that when marching in the field, in case of a thunderstorm, we should not camp under a lone tree, otherwise the thunder will probably hit the big tree. I was holding an umbrella, but it had been beaten to no avail, and I held it up just to protect the tinder I was carrying.Even though the kindling jar was also covered with banana leaves, I was really afraid that it would be blown out by the rain, so I tried my best to block it with the broken umbrella. Wu Wanling dragged Xue Wenyi and walked beside me.He said loudly: "Commander, look quickly!" Following a flash of lightning, I saw a wooden house on a slope ahead.I said: "Thank God. General Wu, you have to be careful, I'll go and have a look first." 我把火种罐交给另一边的张龙友，正要向前走去，忽然，耳边只听一个女子的尖叫声。我扭头一看，却见一个女子滑入了边上的一个沟渠中，正挣扎着要爬上来，可是雨把泥土打松了，她哪里抓得住？ 这沟中积水已和路面相平，那女子大概没有注意，失足滑进去的。 还好，不是她。 我刚转过这个念头，忽然身上一阵寒意。我大声道：“撑住！”不等别人说什么，我一下跳了下去。 沟中积水已经深可齐胸，当然是齐我的胸，那个女子大约是齐颈了，而她又惊慌失措地挣扎，已经吞了两口水，马上便要沉下去了。 水流得很急，一跳进沟里，我便觉得身体象被一个人大力推着，站都站不稳。我深吸了一口气，向那女子走去。此时她已经失去平衡，一下沉了下去，只剩下一头长发还漂在水面上。我看准了，一把揪住她的头发，拉了过来。 一抓住她，张龙友已经不知从哪里弄来一根树枝，向我伸过来。我左手抓住树枝，右手松了松，搂住了那个女子的腰。好在在水里她的体重轻了许多，不然我根本抱不住她。 拉着那根树枝，我单手抱着那个女子，将她推上岸去。把她送上去后，我也爬上岸来，道：“她没事吧？” 张龙友拖上那女子后，在她背上敲了敲，她“哇”一声呕出了一滩水，神情很是委顿，不过看样子没有什么大碍。 张龙友喃喃道：“没事就好，没事就好。” 我微微一笑。这个女子是和张龙友很谈得拢的那个，大概张龙友也喜欢她吧。我身上一身的泥水，很是不舒服，道：“大家一块儿过去吧。” 吴万龄道：“统领，全过去么？” “是福不是祸，是祸躲不过。听天由命吧，要是那屋里有蛇人，那我们也逃不掉了。” 我这么说着，忽然看到了她的目光。她在看着我时没有那么冷漠了，仿佛有些温柔之意。看见我在看她，她低下头，似乎带着些娇羞。她一向都冷若冰霜，让人觉得不可接近，此时在雨中被淋得浑身湿透，倒更平易近人一些。 我们走近了那屋子。屋子里也没灯光，不知到底有没有人。到了屋前，吴万龄道：“大家小心点，我和统领先进去看看。” 他说完看了看我，我点了点头。此时我们八个人中，有一战之力的只有我和吴万龄两个，如果真有什么埋伏，那逃也逃不掉。 我和吴万龄走到门前。我抽出百辟刀，左手便要去敲门。在那一瞬间，突然间好象回到了在高鹫城里的情景了。 第一次见到蛇人时，也和现在差不多。那回我手下有祈烈和十个百夫长，对付那个蛇人也费了九牛二虎之力。一想到这些，我的手也顿住了，实在不敢敲下去。 吴万龄倒没有我这种顾虑，他在一边见我不动了，道：“统领，怎么了？” 我伸手抹了把头发上的雨水，道：“没什么。你把刀拔出来，小心点。” He nodded.我又看了一眼身后的几人，终于，重重地敲了下去。 门在我敲叩下发出了清越的声音，这种年代久远的木头敲后几乎有点象金属，在雨中显得空落落的。可是，随着我一敲，这门一下被我推开了一条缝。 这门没有闩上！ 我猛地向后一跳，吴万龄不知发生了什么事，也猛地向后跳去。不过他跳得没我远，这么一来他反而在我身前了。 一跳离屋檐下，雨水登时浇到我头顶，我脑子里一阵凉。这时我才清楚自己到底是在什么地方，不禁哑然失笑。 我实在有点多疑了。 门开了一条缝，里面仍是黑糊糊的。我伸出百辟刀，顶住了门用力一推，门一下洞开。因为窗子全部关着，里面仍是黑黑的，但可以依稀看到里面的桌子椅子，却没有人影。我小心地走上前去，道：“有人么？” 吴万龄也走了过来。他从张龙友那里把那罐火种抱了过来。我道：“快看看，火种灭了没有？” 他拉开盖，看了看道：“还好，里面的炭还燃着。” 那是张龙友想的办法。用干柴煨成木炭后，放在罐子里，这罐子底下有个小孔，木炭燃尽后的灰能漏出去，而空气也可以进去，使炭火不至灭掉。我们从生了火后就这么保存着。他从怀里摸出一根用干树叶卷成的小棍，在炭火里扎了扎，登时头上着了。他用力一吹，马上跳出了一朵火苗来。 那也是张龙友想的办法。他这人很有些奇奇怪怪的办法，而且相当实用。本来干树叶很难卷，他是拣些肥厚的新鲜树叶细细卷好后，在火堆边烤得干透，象是火绒一般。这样的火头用力一吹便可以吹出火来的。 一有了火，屋里的东西象是一下子跳出来一样显现在我们面前。屋子很小，里面只有一张破竹榻和两张破椅子，看样子，总也有许多天没人来过了。我小心地检查了一下屋里，也注意地看了看顶上，还是一个人影也不见。 "come in." 我对外面几人这样说时，他们登时欢呼起来。