Chapter 10 Chapter 9 Suddenly

The flames shot straight into the sky, and looking from a distance, we could only see dots of flames rising straight up, mixed with a sound.When a cluster of flames burst into the sky one at a time, the people around cheered.However, Marquis Wu frowned.Suddenly, he shouted: "Chu Hou! Has Bi Hou come back?" What's wrong?I turned my head to look at the flames over there, and suddenly, there was an inexplicable panic in my heart. I have also thrown gunpowder bags myself. I don’t know how much gunpowder was in that bag, but it weighed about a catty, but the flames never went that high.But judging from this scene, it seems that the gunpowder did not explode on the ground, but burned in the air.

Thinking of this, I shivered.Could it be that any dead man was so anxious that he lit gunpowder in the air?But even if it goes off fire, it won't become so big. I am so anxious that I can't wait to see what happened.Immediately, I thought of the telescope made by Xue Wenyi. Although that thing can't be seen clearly, it can be seen somewhat.But at this moment, the flames swirled up and down, and it was already peaceful, and if I rushed there now, I couldn't see anything. At this time, there was a commotion in the city, as soon as the city gate was opened, a man riding a horse seemed to rush into the city, and a man rushed straight to the top of the city.

That's exactly a scolding soldier. He rushed past me, and didn't notice me at all. As soon as he got to the top of the wall, he knelt down on the ground and said, "My lord, things... things are not good!" He was also out of breath, he rushed all the way, the journey was not far, but the rush was so fast that he was exhausted. Marquis Wu said, "What happened?" Na scolded Hou: "Report to Marquis Wu, the Reebok battalion... the whole army was wiped out!" What?I was also shocked on the side.The Reebok Battalion has a total of 5,000 people, and after the reduction, there are still more than 3,000 people. The Reebok Battalion that was said to be wiped out refers to the 1,000 people sent this time.But Marquis Wu's face didn't change, he said: "Go in and talk." He waved his hand, the big eagle and the little eagle protected him and entered the tent, and the scout followed him.

The girl music was led down to the city by a general of the supply battalion.The general knew me too, and greeted me as he walked past me.I saluted him too, but just kept my eyes on her. Her yellow shirt was blown up in the night wind.On a spring night, the wind is still precipitous, watching her float away with a pipa in her arms, but her face is still blank, I can't help but feel a little pain in my heart. When I got down from the city, I was just catching up with some remnants of the sharp barracks at the south gate coming back.It was one thousand and fifty when we set off, but there were only a hundred or so people left when we came back. The whole army was indeed wiped out.

This attack was supposed to be done without anyone noticing it. Originally the vanguard battalion asked for an order to fight, but Marquis Wu said that the vanguard battalion was mostly cavalry and the noise was too loud, so he sent out a thousand elite battalion.The Reebok Battalion is the elite of the infantry. Although its attack power is not as good as that of the Vanguard Battalion, it is better at defense.The discipline of the Reebok Battalion was much stricter than that of the Vanguard Battalion, who thought they were superior. They were indeed more suitable for this fire attack. The death of a thousand people in battle is not a big problem for the entire army's combat strength, but this strategy that was thought to be a sure win has no effect at all, and instead let the snake people use their tricks, which has a great impact on the morale of the army.Some soldiers at the gate of the city ignored the ban and asked around the group of remnants.

This operation was originally kept secret, until the departure, the soldiers at the gate of the city did not know that there was a team going to attack.This kind of attack method is also unheard of, they thought they were sure to win, but they didn't expect the ending to be like this, so they wanted to gather around to ask what happened.I went to the side of the crowd and listened too. The Reebok battalion was led by one of the battalion officers, Guan Hong.Bring the whole army to the edge of the forest, and at the beginning everything was as usual.When the kite was lifted into the air, a large group of snake men suddenly appeared in the forest.At this time the air kites had not yet reached the head of the Snakeman's camp, if Guan Hong retreated immediately, it would be nothing more than abandoning the fifty soldiers, and the whole army could still return safely.But Guan Hong never retreated, and he wanted to hold on until the kite dropped the gunpowder. If he wins the first battle, he will die without regret.In the beginning, this strategy was also very effective. In front of the strong wall formation of the Reebok Battalion, although the snake people had an advantage in numbers, they were still unable to defeat the Reebok Battalion's defense in one fell swoop.Just when the kite arrived at the snake man's formation, a large number of flying birds with fire on their bodies suddenly flew from the snake man's camp.The fifty kites were ignited in the air immediately, and at this point, the fighting spirit of the Reebok Battalion was completely disintegrated. None of the fifty soldiers on the kites returned, and a thousand people in the Reebok Battalion were also slaughtered.

In the accounts of the surviving soldiers who were still in shock, there was still fear.Guan Hong's demeanor of a brave man who would rather die than surrender failed to infect them. In their hearts, there was only panic towards the snake man. The more I listened, the more chilled I became.Marquis Wu originally wanted to win the battle and withdraw his troops, but he would be self-defeating, what will happen in the future? I looked up at the sky.It was almost dawn, but a large crowd of soldiers were still crowded at the gate of the city.At this time, a general riding a horse came over and shouted: "What are you talking about! Get in place quickly, those who leave their posts without authorization, beheaded!"

Indeed, crowding them together like this will only destabilize the morale of the army.Many middle-level Chinese soldiers are also crowded in the crowd now, and it seems that they did not expect the whole bunch of military discipline.This person is vigorous and resolute, and he has the style of a general.All the soldiers guarding the city returned to their original positions, and the retreated Reebok Battalion walked towards their camp.I was about to leave when the general came over and said, "Hey, which battalion are you from? Why don't you leave?" I looked at him.Judging by his uniform, he is an inspector of the Chinese army.Before I could reply, he got off his horse, bowed in front of me, and said, "General Chu, the last general Yuan Kexiang has seen you before. Please forgive me for being rude."

I said: "You are right, I will return to the team immediately." Yuan Kexiang said: "General Chu, you can ride my horse, I will come to General Chu's camp to take the horse later." I was having pain in my arm.When he rushed over, he was too impatient and never rode a horse.The mount I used to ride was killed in the first battle between the Dragon Scale Army and the Snake Man. The current mount has been kept in the Dragon Scale Army stable, and I haven't ridden it yet.I was not polite, I bowed to him and said: "Thank you." Na Yuan Kexiang bowed to me, then turned around and looked around.I got off my horse and walked towards the Dragon Scale Barracks.On the horse, I saw soldiers whispering everywhere along the way.

Marquis Wu's battle was a complete failure.The defeat of this battle shattered Wuhou's plan to return to the teacher with a complete victory. I don't know if Wuhou will swallow this bitter fruit and return to the teacher with humiliation.In fact, from the overall point of view, it is still the best policy to withdraw troops now. But how could this battle be lost?The strategy of using gunpowder to attack the enemy's camp can be said to be the first time in the history of the empire's war, and it would never have been thought of by the snake man's raw brain.The only possibility is that there are traitors in our army.

The shadow came to mind almost immediately, too.I saw that shadow just before the departure of Reebok Battalion.Is that the traitor?I couldn't help shivering.Naturally, the traitor would not be a snake man, but if it was a person, who would it be?If it was before, I would have immediately concluded that it was the remnants of the Republican Army.But thinking about it now, there are too many doubts about the remnants of the Republican Army.If he was lurking in the imperial army, why didn't he show up during the siege, but did not come out until the Republican army was defeated? I was thinking about it immediately, at this moment, I heard someone shouting: "Commander! Commander Chu!" I raised my head, and it was Jin Qianshi who was leading my horse.I jumped off the horse and said, "General Jin, good." Jin Qianshi went to the horse and helped me pull the horse. I said, "That is the mount of General Yuan Kexiang of the Chinese Army. He will come to retrieve it later. General Jin, what's the matter?" Jin Qianshi said: "Lei Gu came to report just now, and the lord ordered you to go to the Chinese army as soon as possible to discuss the military situation." I was a little puzzled for a moment, but I immediately realized that I am now the commander of the Dragon Scale Army, enough to be on an equal footing with Lu Gongxing, and naturally I have the right to attend the military aircraft meeting.I jumped on my mount and said, "I'll go right away." Just as Da Ma was about to leave, he turned around and said, "General Jin, please tell the Bai Wei Zi Polygonum in my tent that I won't eat breakfast, let them eat it all." I took a whip.Although you can only control the horse with one hand, it is still easy to handle.On the horse, thinking of Jin Qianshi's last expression, I suddenly felt a little funny.It would be a bit difficult for Jin Qianshi to tell his two former concubines and Yan Yuese about breakfast. Arriving at the tent of Marquis Wu, there are already some personal soldiers at the tent to welcome him.After I entered, an officer called out: "The commander of the Dragon Scale Army, Chu Xiuhong, has arrived." It was the first time for me to participate in this kind of meeting, and a horse led me to my place.A dozen or so officers from various armies were already seated in the tent. In the front row were Weiyuan Bomo Zhenwu, the commander of the Chinese army, and Luo Jingwei, the commander of the rear army.Next to them are Bu Wu, the deputy commander of the left army, and Luan Peng, the deputy commander of the right army.Originally they were going to sit behind Zuo Jun Lu Jingyu and Right Jun Shen Xiping, but those two peerless generals were not present, so one of their seats was raised.In the back, there are more than 20 seats in total, which are the seats of the middle-level generals of the left, middle, right, and rear four ranks.Originally, there were a dozen or so generals in the Chinese army who were qualified to attend the military aircraft meeting, but now five or six of them have died in battle, and those five or six seats are empty.My seat was in the middle row of the right army, just adjacent to the middle army, and Lu Gongxing was next to me.When he sat down, he nodded at me and didn't speak.I also saluted and sat down.The position of Marquis Wu is still vacant, he will not come out until we are all here. After waiting for a while, all those who should be present have arrived.Marquis Wu's military opportunities must all be present in a stick of incense, or they will be punished.I can't help calling it a fluke.If Yuan Kexiang hadn't lent me that horse, I'm afraid I would have made a mistake. After they were all together, several horsemen lowered the curtain of the camp tent, and the official said: "Your Majesty raised the tent, everyone please stand up." We all stood up and saluted Wuhou, Wuhou waved his hand and sat down. down. After they all sat down, Marquis Wu said: "The generals probably already know that our army failed completely in this night attack. Of the 1,050 brothers, 102 escaped and the rest died in battle. " No one spoke.This matter spread very quickly, except for those who were too ill-informed, most of the whole army already knew about it.Marquis Wu picked up his wine glass and said, "This plan was originally offered by Lao Guoji, the centurion of the 13th Battalion of the Qianfeng Battalion, and I also agree. I cannot absolve myself of the responsibility for the failure of this battle." He put the wine glass on the table and said: "At present, the three armies have no fighting spirit, how do you generals think we should advance and retreat?" Marquis Wu wants a class teacher. I immediately thought of this.Lu Gongxing had proposed a class teacher two days ago, but that time he probably got frustrated. At this time, Marquis Wu finally accepted his suggestion.Indeed, according to the current situation, it is indeed the teacher who comes first.However, the situation in southern Xinjiang is still unstable.Retreating at this time, plus the snake man is still outside the city, I am afraid that the battle against the Republican Army will be in vain.But this is also a no-brainer. It is better to retreat early than to be wiped out here. At this time, Mo Zhenwu stood up and said: "My lord, I believe that the battle against the rebellion has been completed, and the snake man is only a small disease of scabies, which is nothing to worry about. The most urgent thing is to return to the court for a rest. .” This is what many people think too.After all, after breaking through Gaojiu City, it was like hitting with a fist. This blow exhausted all the strength in his body, and he really didn't have the strength to make another thunderous blow.Mo Zhenwu was the commander of the Chinese army, and what he said actually meant what Marquis Wu meant, but Marquis Wu himself was not very good at talking about retreating, so he could only say it through Mo Zhenwu's mouth. De Yang also stood up and said: "My lord, what General Mo said is very true. It has been nearly a year since the three armies went out for war. Now it is the beginning of spring, and the food and grass are unsustainable. If there is no supply, the rations of the three armies can only last for about a month. I also agree with General Mo’s words, it’s better to be a class teacher first.” Mo Zhenwu can be said to represent Marquis Wu, while De Yang means logistics.The words of these two people can almost decide everything.From the inside to the outside, it is true that retreating is the first thing, I think so too. When they sat down, a general of the right army stood up and said: "My lord, now the snake people are still outside the city, if we don't wipe them out, what should we do if they become big?" I whispered to Lu Gongxing who was beside me, "General Lu, who is this person?" Although I am already a member of the You Army, I have not met the generals of the You Army.I'm just the commander of the Dragon Scale Army, and I had to recuperate when I arrived at the Right Army camp yesterday, so I'm not as familiar as Lu Gongxing. Lu Gongxing said: "He is the commander of the right army, Chai Shengxiang." He is Chai Shengxiang?I nodded secretly.In Shen Xiping's right army, there are two ten thousand commanders, one is Luan Peng, and the other is Chai Shengxiang.Both of them are brave generals who are used to rushing into battle, Luan Peng is more serious, and his official position is half a rank higher than Chai Shengxiang.Chai Shengxiang went into battle, relying on his bravery, always rushing blindly, either a big victory or a big defeat. When we first sent troops, once his 10,000 people chased and killed the fleeing Republican Army, but they didn't return for two days, which made Shen Xiping It's not easy to explain in front of Marquis Wu.Fortunately, he returned with a big victory that time, and he killed all the 50,000 to 60,000 Republican soldiers and civilians who fled, and every soldier who returned brought two or three heads.Military merit is determined by the level of beheading. That time, his team of 10,000 people killed too many people, and most of them were civilians. It is really impossible to be sure. If all of them are recorded, his team of 10,000 people will be promoted to the next level. No, it made De Yang, who remembers his merits, complain endlessly.Fortunately, he didn't embarrass De Yang that time because he misunderstood the general's order and made a mistake.Some frivolous and frivolous jokes in the army said that the authentic title in the army is the highest in Marquis Wu, but in words, Chai Shengxiang is the highest.Marquis Wu is only honored as a "junhou", but Chai Shengxiang is called a "king" - "king of killing". The reputation of this killing king is not very good, but his words are not unreasonable.It's just that what he said was a little ignorant of current affairs. Does Marquis Wu not know the reason why raising tigers is a danger, but it also depends on whether he has strength.Now we are forced into the city by the snake people, how can we have the ability to wipe out the snake people?Marquis Wu was also afraid that he would mess up after he was transferred to the central army, so the two thousand people he transferred to defend the city were from Luan Peng's army. Marquis Wu did not underestimate the words of the killing king, and said: "General Chai's words are also true. But now the three armies really have no energy left to fight again, so what can we do?" Marquis Wu's words were also very calm, but to us, they were like thunder.Marquis Wu's words made it clear that the current imperial army is no match for the Snake Man.Although we also vaguely feel that if we continue to fight like this, we are really at a disadvantage, but Marquis Wu's blatant admission is quite surprising. Chai Shengxiang said: "Your Majesty has destroyed his prestige too much. He is not good at winning. I would like to command a team of ten thousand people in the headquarters and wipe out evil spirits for the Marquis." As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Gongxing said in a very low voice: "You are not ashamed to speak out." The surrounding generals also made a thin buzzing sound, which probably meant the same thing.Indeed, Huohu Shen Xiping, the leader of the right army, one of the two most famous generals today, also died in the battle among the snake men. It is really bragging to say these words with a Chai Shengxiang who only has the reputation of being easy to kill.And saying that only 10,000 people can defeat the Snakeman is almost making fun of Marquis Wu, who guarded the south gate with 50,000 people, because he no longer knows how to use troops. Marquis Wu didn't say anything, but said: "General Chai is extremely brave, he is indeed a pillar of the army. Who would like to join forces with General Chai?" Would Marquis Wu also say such sarcasm?I couldn't help laughing to myself.Of course there will be no people in the Chinese army who are ignorant of current affairs who want to fight with Chai Shengxiang to meet the enemy. Now the left army is presided over by Bu Wu, who is more cautious than Lu Jingyu, let alone.However, Luo Jingwei and Shen Xiping have always been at odds. Luo Jingwei thinks he has made great contributions, but he doesn't even have a title.Thinking of this, I was a little panicked.In case Luan Peng's brain got hot and said that he wanted to use the two ten thousand troops of the right army to meet the enemy, wouldn't even I, the newly released commander who just arrived in the right army, also join in? Who knows what to fear, Luan Peng stood up and said: "My lord, I have something to say at the end." Marquis Wu said: "Speak." At this time, I desperately begged the gods of the heavens not to let Luan Peng say something like "willing to advance and retreat with General Chai".Although I don't think we may not be able to defeat the snake man, but if we continue to fight like this, even if we defeat the snake man, at least half of the three armies will die on the battlefield.Although I really want to record a sum of military merits, I don't want to add the word "chasing" to the official rank. Luan Peng said: "Your Majesty, General Chai's courage is commendable, but for the way of generals, only when wisdom and courage are combined can we be victorious in every battle." When he said the first sentence, I couldn't help but look at him with admiration.Unexpectedly, there were such characters in the brave and fierce You Army. It seemed that although Shen Xiping himself was considered to be brave and intrepid, he was also considered to be knowledgeable and capable. Luan Peng said: "Now that we are in the same stalemate with the snake man, it seems that this situation is difficult to open. It is really unwise to try to be brave. I think that the discussion between General Mo and Mr. De is really the best policy." He also agreed to retreat!I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief.Although I was behind him, I could only see his back, but I felt that his back suddenly grew bigger. Bu Wu was a little too serious, and absolutely agreed with the retreat. Now the three generals in the Fourth Army all advocated the retreat. Even if Luo Jingwei disagreed, it was useless.Marquis Wu said, "What does General Luo think?" Luo Jingwei stood up, bowed and said: "Jingwei also feels that it is the best policy to retreat at the right time. The entire Republican Army has been wiped out, and it is difficult for the snake people to make a fortune. Even if the snake people are rampant for a while, it will not be too late to send troops to the south." Marquis Wu said: "In this case, let's make a decision. When we go back today, we will prepare the squadron, and the Chinese army will be ready to cut off the rear." At this time, Chai Shengxiang suddenly shouted: "Your Majesty! The general Lu of the left army has not yet arrived for ten days, and he can't be a teacher yet." When he said this, almost half of the people were going to stare angrily.Lu Jingyu must be tired of being in the army, maybe he has taken his relatives somewhere to live in seclusion, Marquis Wu promised him that he would pay for his meritorious deeds, but it was just to gag people's mouths, how could anyone not know about this?Although it was less than ten days since Lu Jingyu left, he would definitely not be able to find Cang Yuegong within ten days, so how could he come back?Only a fool like Chai Shengxiang would yell.I also cursed secretly: "Idiot, if you want to die so much, let you die and be killed by the snake man." But Marquis Wu didn't show any difference on his face, and said: "General Chai is right. Tomorrow is the tenth day. General Luo's rear army can leave the city from the north gate today, and then go to the heavy camp. The following are the left and right sides. Army, after the Central Army is terminated, it will be withdrawn until tomorrow night. If Lu Jingyu does not return to the army tomorrow, he will be sentenced to death. Don't worry about him. When you retreat, you must be orderly and not chaotic. The Central Army and the Right Army It is necessary to strengthen the guard to prevent the snake man from attacking." I just smiled secretly.In fact, Marquis Wu didn't say what he said. On the surface, he seemed to have listened to Chai Shengxiang's words, but in fact he started to retreat today.There are more than 90,000 of the 100,000 army, plus thousands of craftsmen and women, and the women captured by the soldiers of the various armies, there will be about 110,000 to 20,000, and it will take at least a day to leave the city. time.But Marquis Wu said it very eloquently, as if waiting for Lu Jingyu to delay until tomorrow.He has already decided that the right army will go second to last, which means that the right army will also be cut off. Lu Gongxing stood up suddenly and said, "My lord, there are still more than 50,000 citizens in the city, what should these people do?" Chai Shengxiang said: "What should I do? Just kill them. Junhou, the last general is willing to ask for orders, and he will kill them all within half a day. If they are kept, it will be a waste of food and grass, and we have to worry about them causing trouble." My heart skipped a beat, but I didn't know what to say.If we only think about it from the aspect of preparing for war, killing them is the cleanest, not only extinguishing the embers of the Republican Army, but also saving half of our rations in a day.But if I were to talk about killing someone as unscrupulously as Chai Shengxiang, I wouldn't be able to say it.After all, that's 50,000 lives. Marquis Wu thought for a while, sighed, and said: "It's useless to kill more. From today on, the east gate will be open for two hours a day, let them escape. The meeting will be adjourned." We all stood up and saluted Marquis Wu.No one said anything, even though they were already tired of fighting, they were still very uneasy if they really wanted to retreat.What's more, there is still a group of snake people stationed outside the south gate, if the snake people suddenly attack when we are withdrawing, what should we do? Walking out of the Chinese army tent, I bid farewell to Lu Gongxing, and I jumped on my horse to go back to the west of the city.Just got on the horse, but someone said: "Is this the new commander of the Dragon Scale Army, General Chu? Please go together." I turned my head to look, and it was Luan Peng, acting commander of the Right Army.He and Chai Shengxiang walked on horseback, followed by some soldiers.I came too hastily, and the guards were not prepared for me. I came alone. Compared with them, I looked shabby.I patted the horse, approached them, bowed on the horse and said, "General Luan, General Chai, and the last general Chu Xiuhong have seen the two adults." Although the status of the Dragon Scale Army is a bit special, they are Shen Xiping's personal soldiers, but they are the two highest commanders of the You Army after all, I dare not be rude. Chai Shengxiang looked at me from the side, and said: "I also heard that Chu Xiuhong, the forward battalion, won the three armies bravely. He is a celebrity in front of Junhou. It turns out that he is just such a young man." If it was before, I'm afraid I would think there was a sense of sarcasm in his words.But at this moment, I don't think he has any malice. Even in front of Marquis Wu, he would talk nonsense without knowing the current affairs. Naturally, he would not be polite to a subordinate like me.I said: "General Chai, the last general is just a little bit lucky." Luan Peng just smiled slightly, and said: "One time is good luck, but two or three times is not necessarily the case. General Chu is young and handsome, and he is extraordinary." I can't say much about his praise.Just as he was about to say a few words of humility, Chai Shengxiang suddenly said: "Brother Peng, why don't you speak for me? Junhou is also a bit of a mother-in-law, and those captives are just killed, so why let them go. Cutting the weeds does not eradicate the roots, and in the future It's also difficult. His mother's Luo Jingwei, he was originally a rear army, he was the last to rush, and the first to escape, he must have been transformed by a mouse in his previous life." Luan Peng just smiled.The combat effectiveness of the rear army is poor, but Luo Jingwei is not weak. Every time the whole army charges, the rear army can always keep up, all thanks to Luo Jingwei's ability to lead troops.In Chai Shengxiang's view, the rear army, which is mainly responsible for cleaning the battlefield and protecting the supply camp, is really a worthless army. Luan Peng looked at me and said with a smile: "Your Majesty Junhou already has a plan in mind, and it is inconvenient for our subordinates to say more." Listening to his words, it seems that because I am on the side, it is not easy to complain.Chai Shengxiang ignored everything, and said: "Brother Peng, when Master Shen was alive, our brothers Sword and Sword went to the front line, and we made a lot of contributions under his command. Now that he is dead, why are you so careful? It's not like you." Luan Peng said: "For the general's way, orders are prohibited. The emperor has orders, and the people below us follow the orders." I can't help but want to laugh a little.This Chai Sheng is really stupid. Luan Peng seems to be very powerful, and he always says something that must be obeyed in front of me. Maybe they don't want to retreat. Back in the camp, I bid farewell to the two commanders of the right army, and I went back to my camp.Jin Qianshi was waiting outside the tent. When he saw me, he said, "Commander, you are back. What orders does your lord have?" I jumped off the horse and said: "Your Majesty ordered, class teacher in the future, you should also go and prepare." Jin Qianshi said: "Teacher? What about those snake men outside the city?" I said: "Of course I don't care about them. When the time comes, I'm afraid that the prince will also let us break up. You go and inform the brothers to prepare." Jin Qianshi looked happy, and said: "Okay. In this ghost place, except for women, you can't eat anything you want, and you got a big bag of money for nothing." I couldn't help but smile wryly.Gaojiu City used to be an important town in southern Xinjiang, known as "the most prosperous in the south of the sky", where there is nothing to eat, drink and have fun?To this point today, is it not because of us?It is really unnecessary to guard such a dilapidated city.For the remaining 50,000 city residents, Marquis Wu also let them live. I said: "The official order will come down soon, you ask the brothers to prepare early." Such a retreat is not a complete achievement, and it even feels a bit disheartened and defeated. When Marquis Wu returns to the imperial capital, he may have trouble sleeping and eating.But at least 90,000 of the 100,000 troops went back safely. Apart from damaging his reputation, there was nothing to blame. Back in the tent, Bai Wei and Zi Liao were already waiting at the side.I said: "Come on, help me put on the battle armor." I didn't know what would happen when I retreated, so I could only wear armor to prepare for the snake man's attack.Because my left arm is bandaged, it is really inconvenient to wear the battle armor alone. Without their help, I am afraid that I will be helpless. After they helped me put on my battle armor, I said to them: "I need a class teacher, are you willing to go back to the imperial capital with me?" They looked at me with panic in their eyes, not knowing what I meant.Indeed, they are my concubines. If I don't take them away, is it because I want to kill them on the spot?Many soldiers of the imperial army thought that the captured women were not easy to take with them, so they killed them immediately. I said: "I'm asking you, do you have any relatives here that you can go to?" They looked at each other for a while, and after a while, Bai Wei mumbled, "We still have an uncle in Wuyang City." Wuyang City is also a famous city in southern Xinjiang, but it is three hundred miles away from here. There are so many merchants in the city, it is known as "Wuyang Ten Thousand Merchants".Because there are many contacts with those merchants in Yuanyu, the folk customs are good for profit, and they don't care about anything else. People in Kyoto always use Wuyang City as an example when they talk about the villain who is greedy for profit and forgets justice in the south.The emperor allowed them to self-govern and pay taxes every year.This time Cang Yuegong rebelled, but Wuyang City remained neutral and never joined the rebellion.Marquis Wu sent troops to go there, and the Lord of Wuyang City also replenished our luggage, which means that we have returned to the rule of the empire. Except for some more disaster victims, the public order in the city is not good, but it has not been affected.But our class teacher didn't go through Wuyang City anymore, so we really couldn't think of any good way to send them there. I sighed and said, "Aren't there any relatives nearby?" As soon as I said this, I also knew that what I said was unreasonable.Gaojiu City was dilapidated, and the surrounding villages were wiped out. There was no one living in it for a hundred miles, and even if they had relatives, they couldn't find them. Bai Wei suddenly said: "General, do you really want to let us go?" I said: "Why not true. Are you still afraid that I will lie to you?" Zi Liao suddenly burst into tears, choked up and said, "General, you..." Seeing her charming appearance, my heart ached, but I said with a smile on my face: "Why are you crying? Are you still reluctant to bear me? I am your enemy. Maybe your relatives and friends in this city are killed by me. Killed, don't you hate me?" Bai Wei sighed and said, "That can't be your fault." I was dumbfounded for a while, and after a while, I also sighed, and said: "You guys should clean up too. As soon as I have a chance, I will send you to Wuyang City right away." Bai Wei said: "General, if you really want to let us go, just give us a car and we will go by ourselves." I looked at her, she no longer had that resigned look on her face, and now her eyes were bright.At this time, I was a little disappointed, she seemed to want to leave me.Although I wanted them to go, she was so happy and anxious, which always made me uncomfortable. I said, "Can you drive a car?" Zi Liao said: "My sister can ride a horse." I smiled wryly, and said, "Okay, I'll arrange carriages and horses for you, prepare some food, put on men's clothes, and leave right away." There are quite a few in the chariot and horse supply camp.I took them to the Central Army and asked them to wait at the gate of the supply camp. De Yang happened to be counting prisoners of war, so I jumped off my horse and walked towards him. Those are all captured artisans.Every time the city was broken, the craftsmen and young women were brought back to the imperial capital without being killed.This time when they breached Gaojiu City, three to four thousand craftsmen were captured, which was more than those in the supply camp.Deyang is holding a silk book to roll the names and separate the craftsmen by industry.There are hundreds of wine makers among them, and they are enough to open several large wine shops when they return to the imperial capital.Luo Jingwei's rear army has been withdrawing one after another.It took several hours for every 10,000 people to withdraw, and it was almost dark after the retreat of the rear army, followed by Deyang's supply camp.The supply camp is no better than the rear army. Although the rear army is inferior in combat effectiveness, it is still a fighting team and moves quickly. However, the supply camp has a lot of miscellaneous things. Some of the captured women have to be discarded, but the artisans bring them back as long as they are not sick. Go to Kyoto.These thousands of craftsmen and one or two thousand girls are enough for him to keep busy.Marquis Wu said that he had to wait for Lu Jingyu for a day, so it would take a day for the book to be withdrawn. I saw that he was busy on time, so I called out: "Master De, you are busy." He turned his head, saw me, and said with a smile: "General Chu, you are here. The supply camp has to leave in two hours, you I also know that the supply battalion is not the rear army of General Biluo, who will leave as soon as they say so. Why don't you go and prepare?" I said: "I'm about to prepare, I want to ask you for a car. The seat for people doesn't need to be too big, it's enough for two people." De Yang said: "It's easy." He called a soldier from the supply battalion over and said, "Xiao Zhu, find a car for General Chu." I still remember that Xiaozhu was the one who lived with Zhang Longyou.He went to lead a horse out, with a cart hanging behind him, and said, "General Chu, is this okay?" This car is not big, and it was originally used for loading goods, so it is more than enough for two people to sit in the back.I said, "Okay. Mr. De, is it convenient?" De Yang handed over the roster to a soldier next to him, and said, "Most of the grain and grass have been used up, and even the grain and grass collected from Wuyang City have been almost used up, so there are quite a few empty cars. Does General Chu have so many things?" I can't say it's to send Bai Wei Zi Polygonum to Wuyang City, but I just vaguely agreed.After saying goodbye to him, I took my horse and drove out to the cart. It was still dark, and the baggage camp was in chaos.I said to them who were looking eastward and westward: "Okay, let's go, is the dry food ready?" Of course, the dry food is still the kind of dry and hard flatbread. It is not delicious to eat, but it can always satisfy the hunger.It would take more than a day to go to Wuyang City from here, but it would take two or three days for them to go by car.Bai Wei said: "It's ready." She took a small bag, and I took a look at it, and there were only three flatbreads in it.I took out a piece from the dry food bag beside me and put it in, saying: "Bring more. Although it's not delicious, you still have to eat it. Let's go." After walking out the door, I jumped on my horse and walked towards the east of the city.Bai Wei is very proficient in driving the horse, she must have ridden a horse many times in the past.Along the way, the carriage rattled and passed through a ruined wall.In the Chinese army camp behind him, there was still a lot of noise. Suddenly, Polygonum persica sitting behind cried out "Yeah", and I was also surprised, I don't know what she saw.But she saw her pale face, pointing to a pile of broken tiles to one side.I took my horse there, but I saw a female corpse lying on her back in the bricks and tiles, with knife marks on her body.It looked like he had just died.Probably someone thought the female prisoner was not good, and it was inconvenient to carry her, so she got it here and killed her. I looked at the female corpse.Her eyes were still open, and there was still fear in her eyes, as if she was still afraid after death.I sighed, reached out and closed her eyes. There was nothing else that could be done about her. I brought the horse back and said, "Let's go." Zi Liao was speechless, but Bai Wei still drove the car calmly.These two sisters, Bai Wei is probably only a little older than Zi Polygonum, but their personalities are very different.Jin Qianshi gave them to me, maybe because he didn't like Bai Wei's strong personality, and he was reluctant to kill her, so he just gave it to me as a favor. The car was not slow, and after a while, we arrived at the east gate.The East Gate is currently in charge of Bu Wu, but Lu Jingyu's unified army is much better than the other army.Although it was a bit chaotic, it was not as noisy as the Chinese army, and there were still people standing guard at the door.As soon as I arrived at the gate, a large number of captured city dwellers had already crowded out of the city, each of them was being inspected and only allowed to bring a small amount of property and dry food.I was hearing a soldier shout, "Stop! Who is it?" I took the horse back and said, "Chu Xiuhong, the commander of the Dragon Scale Army, is Master He Zhong here?" The soldier said: "General Chu? Take out your badge." I smiled wryly.This soldier is very rude, probably because I led people to arrest Lu Jingyu and let them hold a grudge.I jumped off the horse, took out my waist card, and said, "Please take a look." This waist badge is still new, the old waist badge has been handed in, this new waist badge was made hastily.The soldier looked around, but couldn't see anything.He glanced at Bai Wei Zi Polygonum in the car and asked, "Who are they?" I said: "It's my concubine. Take her to my uncle's house." The soldier said: "Wait for me to ask Mr. He for instructions, just wait." As he walked in, the other soldier remained motionless, expressionless.Inside, there are people arguing from time to time, probably because the distribution is uneven.Even Lu Jingyu's troops would kill people to get money when massacring the city, at most they should be more disciplined. After a while, someone said: "It's General Chu, please come in." I made a salute and said, "General He, I want to send my concubine to Wuyang City, please make it convenient for General He." He Zhong looked at Bai Wei Zi Polygonum in the car, and said, "They are all women? Is it convenient for the journey?" I was taken aback and looked at them unconsciously.Even though they were wearing men's clothes, they could still be seen as women at a glance.Now 50,000 city residents have been released from the city. These people are also good citizens. They dare not make any changes in the city. Once they leave the city, God knows what they will do.They were sitting in a carriage, afraid that they would be robbed as soon as they left the city.If it wasn't for He Zhong's reminder, I wouldn't have thought of this. Bai Wei said: "General, please don't worry about us, life is life, life and death depend on heaven." Her face was still extremely calm.He Zhong was taken aback and said, "Aren't you afraid?" Bai Wei said: "Of course I am afraid, but there is always hope." 何中点了点头，道：“好吧。我叫人送你们先出去。等等。” 他像是想起了什么，走到边上一个营帐中。我不知他要做些什么，耐着性子等着。一会儿，他捧着一个小包出来，道：“两位小姐，你们要是能到五羊城，请把这东西代我交给城主好么？” 何中和五羊城的城主还有联系？但此时我也不愿多想，白薇道：“好的，一定为将军办到。” 何中笑了笑，道：“如果到不了也没关系。”他拉开小包，里面却是一块玉佩和两柄腰刀。他道：“这两柄腰刀给你们防身，这块玉佩就请你们交给城主吧。” 白薇接了过来，我向何中单手行了一礼，道：“多谢。” 送了她们出去，却见城外已是一片逃出去的城民。这些人大多衣衫褴褛，时而有几个发出几声干哭，也许是终日担惊受怕，终于看到生路，高兴得不知如何是好。看着他们，我也不禁百感交集。若不是蛇人，只怕他们没几个人能逃走，这么一想，他们倒该感谢蛇人了。 东门外过了护城河有一条大路，本是直通五羊城的官道。这条官道因为失修，有点坑坑凹凹的，马车在上面也有点颠簸，紫蓼有点不好受，白薇却仍是不动声色。 走了一程，路上的灾民已少了，只是零星几个。马车虽慢，也比这批饿昏头的灾民走得快。我带住马，道：“我得回去了，保重。” 和她们不过相处了一天多一些，本不该有什么惜别之情。我带转马头，忽然听得白薇道：“将军！等等！” 我带住马，只见她跳下车直向我跑过来。我跳下马，道：“还有什么事？” 她跑到我跟前，忽然揽住我的头在我唇上一吻，脸一红，却又跑了回去，一言不发。一上车，便打马疾行，那辆马车被她赶得哗哗作响，也不知颠得车里的紫蓼成了个什么模样。 我伸出手指摸了摸嘴唇。唇上，似犹有她的口脂余香，刚才她那柔软的嘴唇虽然只是极快地一点，却仿佛在我嘴上留下了一个印记。那辆马车也越行越快，终于转过一个拐角，被一带树林遮住了，再看不到。 走好吧。 我默默地说着。那条路上她们不知还会碰到什么艰险，只希望她们能平安到达五羊城。 回到城中，东门仍挤了不少城民。五万人要出城，便是冲出去也要好一会，不用说这般一个个走了。我带着马，又自东门向西门走去。 当初，城中数十万人家，到处是曲曲折折的巷子，从东门到西门也得好一会，现在却都成了一片瓦砾，直通过去，便是近了许多了。 城中心是国民广场，边上便是中军营帐。广场中心本是用方方正正的大青石块铺成的，每块青石都足有六尺见方，按理，另外几大城池中类似的广场都叫帝国广场，第一代苍月公筑城后却起名叫国民广场，那也预示着后来的反叛吧。这广场号称天南第一，大石板每块都有半尺厚，磨得光可鉴人，便是帝都也没那么好的石板。如今这些大石块都被烧得斑斑驳驳，有些也已被烧裂了，这些日来，不知在这里焚烧了多少死尸。真佩服中军，边上那种焦臭味，他们居然还能呆得下。 肩头一阵奇痒，让人几乎忍受不了。叶台说过，伤口愈合，会有一阵痒，那么现在正在愈合吧？他的医术当真神奇，我受此伤不过两天，居然这么快便愈合了。腿上受到的那条刀伤本是皮外伤，他只是浅浅包扎一下，现在拆掉了，也不过两天，结的痂都快掉了，除了在腿上留下一条长长的伤疤外，没什么后遗症。 有叶台这样的医官，这次与共和军一战，才会以如此小的损失取得那么大成果吧。我胡乱想着，这时，只觉得脸边一凉，颊上有点湿漉漉的。 是我的泪水么？ 我摸了把脸，掌心有点湿，但我知道那绝不会是泪水。白薇最后的那一吻也的确有些让我心动，但没感动到那种程度，对于她来说，也并不是依依不舍，而是感激而已。毕竟，我是攻破了高鹫城的帝国军一员。 是下雨了。 我的身体都猛地一震。南疆开始要进入雨季，那么，本来定好的退兵时用火墙阻挡的战术便不能用。何况，若此时蛇人攻击，那该如何是好？ 几乎是同时，城中四处发出了呼喊，当中夹着人们声嘶力竭地叫声：“蛇人来了！” 蛇人攻城，至今也有好多次了。但这一次却象是已到末日，四处都传来地震一般的震动，带着人们的哭叫。中军营中，几支正在营房休息的部队也冲了出去。中军分前锋、锐步、铁壁、铜城、虎尾五营，前锋营最为精锐，步兵中锐步营最强，以前攻击时这两支部队总是冲锋在前，现在这两支最强的部队已经都减员一半，战斗力大损，也只能依靠另三营充当主力军了。今天轮到的是铜城营休息，从营中冲出来的步兵一个个甲衣不整，大概也正在整理抢夺来的财物。我加了一鞭，穿过他们，冲向西城。 蛇人已经三天未攻城了。尽管锐步营在空中火攻失败，肯定也让蛇人有点胆寒，万料不到我们被围居然还敢攻出城来。这一次，蛇人一定也发现下雨了，抓住了这个良机，又发起了进攻。 刚跑到西门，却见城头下聚集了一批批士兵，正依次上城。金千石正点着人马，一见我，叫道：“楚统领回来了！” 龙鳞军中不少人还没见过我，这时，他们都一下跪倒在地，道：“楚统领。” 如果我没有夺回沈西平的头颅，这批桀骜不驯的士兵也肯定不会如此对我心服。我看了他们一眼，道：“请起。大战在即，弟兄们多加小心。” 龙鳞军也是骑军。马匹本就不多，四军中的马军占的份量也小，连杀生王柴胜相的万人队里，也只有三千骑军，龙鳞军却人人都有战马。龙鳞军本已只剩两百多，武侯命我挑选士兵补充到龙鳞军中，事也太急，只挑了一百多人，现在全军已有三百零七人，连我在内。因为守城，马匹都牵在城下。 我们正要上城，忽然，从城南一骑飞驰而来。离了好远，便听得马上人道：“龙鳞军统领在么？” 那是雷鼓。我勒住马，等雷鼓过来，道：“我是龙鳞军统领楚休红。” 雷鼓带着马，那匹马跑得急了，站也站不定，只是在不住咆哮。雨正不时滴下几滴，但那一人一马都同着了似的，浑身冒着白汽。雷鼓喝道：“龙鳞军统领楚休红听令，武侯有令，北门告急，龙鳞军速去援救，快去！” 我吃了一惊，道：“北门外也有蛇人？”雷鼓却没有理我，飞快向东门跑去。 我看了看金千石，他也一脸愕然。我突然想到，现在罗经纬已退出城去，若蛇人此时攻来，可真是大事不妙。我冲着金千石喝道：“快走！” 去北门本有一条大道，是自南门直通北门。我们从西门出发，却是要从小路里穿过去。我带着三百人走过一堆残砖碎瓦，便到了那条大道。 这条大道号称“十马大道”，可以并排驰十匹马。尽管经历这一劫，但用石板铺成的路面仍是很平整。在这大道上，便可以疾驰了。 带着人一上大道，便听得身后一阵如疾风骤雨的马蹄声。我回头一看，却见路恭行一马当先，带着前锋营也过来了。 北门到底出了什么事？ 在疾驰的马上，雨开始下得大了。透过雨帘，只觉得眼前一切都仿佛梦境，有种不祥之感。