It was close to noon on the eighth day of the New Year.
When the scorching sun shone down from the sky, the mountain path was silent.
The footprints of a large number of people were now clearly imprinted on the mountain path. Wooden baskets, shoes, clothes, parcels, flags, and even wooden furniture of various sizes. The footprints of people and animals spread out in a disorderly manner, pressing down on the grass and messing up the shrubs. When the mountain wind blew slightly from the shade of the trees, pieces of cloth swirled in the air.
Two figures walked out from the shade of the trees. After looking for a while, they gestured to each other and walked into the valley to check the direction the crowd had passed.
The wind stopped and the two figures were exposed to the sunlight. It could be clearly seen that the two of them were carrying weapons. One of them had a bow on his back and the other had a crossbow on his back. Due to the hot weather, the two of them were wearing unlined clothing. Even so, their clothing seemed to have been pieced together. From their seemingly agile movements, they looked like hunters in the mountains.
Naturally, they were not hunters.
The scattered scenes in the valley were left behind by the fugitives after the disaster in Hangzhou. Because there were many people and there was not enough order, it was actually very easy to identify the general direction. One of them walked forward while the other searched through the messy grass and the discarded items. From time to time, he bent down to pick something up and then tossed it away.
When the person in front of him reached the mountainside and looked forward under the sunlight, the person in the bushes suddenly discovered something. He suddenly bent down to pick it up and looked at it. He even wiped it on his sleeves. Not far away, his companion saw the traces in front of him and turned his head from the hillside. This person also waved his hand and raised the thing in his hand. Under the sunlight, it looked like an expensive string of beads.
After this person waved his hand, he bent down to rummage through the grass again. But after searching for a while, he did not find anything else of value. He stood up and looked at his comrade who was walking over. Suddenly, his body trembled. An arrow had pierced into his chest at an angle, its tail trembling in the air. Under the dazzling sunlight in front of him, his comrade suddenly flew out. Another arrow turned into a black shadow as it streaked past … This was the last scene he saw.
In the valley, the person holding the bead chain swayed a few times before falling down. In the bushes, another figure crawled up and quickly fled. Another arrow flew over. Two figures dashed out of the forest on the side, running and drawing their bows. Then, another arrow streaked past the man's side, causing blood to blossom.
The fleeing man returned an arrow and ran into the forest. One of the two chased after him. The other person ran towards the corpse in the valley. He flipped the corpse over, then carefully pried open the corpse's fingers and took out the bead necklace. He looked left and right, then searched the corpse again. He found some silver pieces and cursed. Then, he rummaged through the bushes at the side. After searching for a few feet, his companion who had chased into the forest returned. The two of them looked at the bead chain together, and then they also looked around the valley for a while. They seemed to have found two more valuable items, and then they disappeared in another direction.
Not long after, under the scorching sun, black figures appeared at the entrance of the valley. The crowd walked in this direction in a disorderly manner. Several people in the front rode horses, while the rest walked on foot. Some people in the front held up flags listlessly. The larger flags had the word "Fang" written on them, indicating that this was an army that followed Fang La in the uprising. The smaller flags had a variety of words, such as "Li", "Lu", and so on.
These people's clothes were not neat. Most of them had dirty red cloths wrapped around their heads. Some of them were tired and took off the red cloths to wipe their sweat. Each of them carried a variety of weapons. There were sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, but there were also many hoes and rakes. Most of them had low morale. If they were bandits, perhaps only a few of them had the legendary bravery of bandits. Most of them gave people the impression that they were farmers. Some of them were thin and weak, dragging their weapons under the scorching sun, sweating profusely and walking weakly. Compared with the gang of bandits under Fang La's command that Ning Yi had seen in Hangzhou City, this gang of bandits was far from being comparable.
One hundred people, two hundred people, three hundred people … The people in the front entered the valley, while the people in the back were still outside the valley. Obviously, they had also followed the traces of the escape. The few people in the lead looked at the traces in the valley, pointing and whispering to each other. When the group at the back passed by, they subconsciously kicked the grass in the path, rummaged for a while, and then were pushed forward by their companions. When they had walked halfway through the valley, one of the people in front turned around and pointed his horsewhip to the forest on the side, and some people went into the forest.
A moment later, shouts suddenly came from the woods. The shouts suddenly soared to the highest pitch, as if thousands of people hiding in the woods were rushing out. The dense crowd in the valley suddenly panicked, but some people shouted and some gave orders. The people on the horses took out their long-handled weapons, and those who had bows in the team also drew their bows and aimed at the woods. The first to escape in a sorry state were the companions who had entered the forest earlier. Soon after, a black mass of people surged out. They were dressed in all sorts of clothes and looked shabby. The headscarves on their heads were khaki in color. Many of them had bows nocked on them and looked down at them from above. Surprisingly, the group of people who rushed out of the forest were carrying the word "Fang". However, on the other flags, there were "Si" and "Yao" written on them.
The man in the valley held a big saber. At this time, he raised the weapon in his hand in front of the team and made a gesture to calm his subordinates behind him. He looked at the people above and was silent for a moment before he said, "Yao Yi! What are you doing! We have no grudges in the past, and we are all heading north on the orders of the Buddha Marshal. How dare you ambush me here?! "
The crowd in the woods surged, and a moment later, a group of people came out of the crowd. The man in the lead was thin and had a sharp chin. He raised his head and looked down with contempt. Then, he pointed at the flag on the side. "Ambush you! Lu Qiao, I really wanted to ambush you! If I didn't raise this flag, you would be dead by now! "
Yao Yi's voice was a little shrill. As he spoke, he waved his hand and jumped. "I won't kill you today! I, Yao Yi, value righteousness above all else. I won't do despicable things like sneak attacks on allies! But today, you have to hand him over! Who are you? Despicable sneak attacks and killed my scouts — "
The man in the valley called Lu Qiao was stunned. He cursed in a dialect. "F * ck, f * ck! Yao Yi! There's sh * t in your head! I don't know what you're talking about! You value righteousness above all else. You changed your name to Yao Yi. You're f * cking righteousness above all else! What despicable sneak attacks and killing your scouts, I don't know anything … "
"F * ck you! Surnamed Lu! Your men are the closest in the vicinity. Let me tell you, not all of my men died. One escaped, and he said he was one of your men! But he died from the poison right after he said that. When it comes to using snake venom, your men are the best. Did I accuse you wrongly — "
Both sides cursed and soon got closer. Under the blazing sun, it looked like they were at each other's throats. On one side of the foothills, a pair of eyes flashed past. In the forest a few miles away, another army was also resting, preparing to get up and rush to the north after the hottest moment …
At the same time, in the woods dozens of miles away, two people were carrying a stretcher and one was leading a horse. They were moving quickly along a waterway through the woods. Naturally, there was a person sleeping on the stretcher. It was Ning Yi. Su Tan 'er walked beside him. As she walked, she waved a fan for Ning Yi, trying to drive away the heat for him. The person leading the horse was Nurse Geng. She kept trying to persuade Su Tan 'er that she was pregnant and it was best for her to get on the horse. However, Su Tan' er only shook her head and refused silently.
In the morning and afternoon, they had stayed in the back of the camp for a long time and had been left behind by the troops.
To them, it was a morning filled with complicated feelings. The news of Su Tan 'er's pregnancy had been confirmed, followed by the news that Ning Yi's wound had been infected. Everyone was at a loss as to what to do. This kind of injury was commonly seen on the battlefield. The fatality rate was more than 50%. Even soldiers who had been injured all year round could not bear this kind of injury. Moreover, Ning Yi was still on the run and had no time to recuperate at all.
Originally, with Ning Yi in the family, everyone basically had a backbone. Even if he told Juan 'er that the situation was critical in the morning, Juan' er and the others would not be too worried. This son-in-law of the family was too powerful. He gave people the feeling that there was nothing he could not do. However, the sudden turn of events almost made Su Tan 'er stunned for a moment. She did not know what to do. However, it was also Ning Yi who calmly gave instructions after learning about the injury.
He asked the doctor who was treating the injury to prepare the medicine, cut open the wound, and scrape off the rotten flesh. He asked the family to prepare alcohol, needles, and thread … In fact, for wound infections, in the current era without penicillin, the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine was not completely blank. There were always some medicines and methods that could play a certain role. After all, there were doctors among the refugees who knew how to bring medicinal materials. They gathered the medicine through Qian Haiping and boiled it on the spot. At the same time, he asked the doctor to treat the wound for the second time, disinfect it, and stitch the wound with needle and thread. He was afraid that the doctor did not know how to do things, so he even asked Su Tan 'er and a few maidservants to wait at the side. In fact, he did not see who stitched the wound for him in the end. In the absence of anesthesia, when the operation was less than half done, he gave up resisting and fainted.
Because of the treatment of the wound, when the group set off again, they could not follow them. However, at this time, Su Tan 'er had regained her decisiveness. She only left three guards and two horses, one of which was given to the doctor who treated Ning Yi's wound so that the doctor could quickly follow the group. After that, even Chan' er, Juan 'er, and Xing' er were arranged to go first by her with great determination. After knowing that she was pregnant, she was almost twice as determined. The others in the family could not refute her. In this way, they treated the wound, boiled the medicine, and fed the unconscious Ning Yi some mouth-to-mouth. Then they carried the stretcher and set off. Because of the hot weather, Su Tan 'er kept fanning Ning Yi along the way.
The afternoon sun shone through the gaps between the trees. Gradually, there was a slight breeze, and the sound of cicadas could be heard along the way. The guards of the Su family were of better quality than ordinary soldiers. At this time, two of them carried the stretcher and walked as if they were flying. Feeling the cool breeze, Guard Geng tried to persuade Su Tan 'er to get on the horse again. Su Tan' er shook her head and said, "It's okay." She paused for a moment and seemed to have thought of something. Then she said, "Fang La's men can't catch up so quickly …"
"But … Miss … you have a child in your belly. Think about Young Master, he doesn't want …"
"I'd rather not think about this child!" She suddenly tilted her head and replied. Her hand trembled as she held onto Ning Yi's hand on the stretcher. Tears flashed in her eyes as she walked quickly with the stretcher. "Right now … I just want him to get better! I … I'm not that noble. Uncle Geng, don't worry … "
"But …"
Before Guardian Geng could finish his sentence, another voice was heard, "Ah … My wife isn't that precious, I know …"
Ning Yi held Su Tan 'er's hand and slowly opened his eyes on the stretcher. Then, he took a deep breath. He had just woken up on the stretcher. He used the modern term, but naturally, no one thought too much about it. Everyone was excited. After moving forward for a while, Ning Yi waved his hand on the stretcher. "Stop … Stop for a moment …"
In the morning, Juan 'er only thought that he had a slight cold. Everything else was fine. However, when he fainted during the operation, everyone was shocked. Although it seemed difficult at first, he gradually recovered with a yawn. "I had a good sleep. Thank you, everyone …"
After saying that, Ning Yi walked out of the forest and washed his face by the river. Su Tan 'er followed him and touched his forehead, but it was still hot. Ning Yi drank the water he had brought along with him. He hugged Su Tan 'er by the river and put his ear on her belly. Su Tan 'er cried and shook her head. "It wasn't long. It wasn't long. I'm fine."
"I know … In the morning, I could have endured it if I wanted to, but I fainted on purpose. Now, I'm resting and recovering. I know you're fine, so let's quickly catch up with the team and do something, okay? " He smiled and sighed. "You have my child in your belly. No matter what, I have to make sure you're safe."
"Are you okay? The doctor said … the doctor said …"
"I'm fine for now. I know what I'm doing. Don't worry."
As he answered, he got on the horse with Su Tan 'er. After instructing Guard Geng and the others to hurry up, they chased after the fleeing team.
In the absence of sufficient survival conditions, a soldier's wound would become infected, and the fatality rate would be as high as 50%. However, even in the absence of penicillin, the Nightingale medical team could still reduce the possibility of wound infection to less than 2%. Of course, if the wound was already infected, even if the wound was scraped and good care was provided, it was still not an exception. He would still face the threat of an extremely high chance of death. He could only use the treatment method of traditional Chinese medicine and his own physical fitness to resist it.
He would still have a fever and might fall into a coma later, but now was not the time to sit and wait for death. At the moment, he could still do something to at least reduce the chance of death from the war disaster to the minimum.
He didn't care about the child, but now, he cared more about his wife and his family.
No matter what, he had to send them back!
The horse galloped out of the forest at a moderate speed, which was suitable for taking care of pregnant women, and chased after the fleeing team in front of them …
*****
In the afternoon, Chen Xingdou rode a horse up the hill. He opened the map and looked at the winding team below, waiting for the return of the scouts.
He was 34 years old this year. He was still young and didn't look very dignified. He wasn't the highest-ranking general in the Wude Camp, and he wasn't even the deputy. In the past, his status was neither high nor low, and he wasn't a man of wealth and power. He didn't have a domineering aura or natural leadership ability. But now, by a freak combination of factors, he had become the military commander of this defeated team of nearly 10,000 people. For him, it was a huge pressure, but of course, he also understood that this was also a huge opportunity.
The Wude Camp collapsed in less than half a month after defending Hangzhou. When the time came, all the generals, from the senior to the middle-level, would be accounted for, and he was one of them. But this team gathered nearly half of the rich and powerful people in Hangzhou. As long as he could lead them out of here and let them remember this favor, even if he couldn't immediately become the deputy commander in the future, he would definitely get the position of deputy commander, and his future would be limitless. But the problem was that this team would definitely become the main target of Fang La's army. On the way to Huzhou and Jiaxing, there would still be bandits causing trouble. He didn't know how to get there when there was no way forward and there were pursuers behind. In this aspect, he was not good at it.
A group of scouts who had been sent farther away had returned not long ago. Fang La's army had already started to move north, and their target might be Huzhou. According to what the scouts saw, the army had chased and killed a group of fleeing residents along the way. Almost all the people were killed, and the bandits continued to attack after looting the belongings that they could carry. It seemed that they were also looking for different traces of escape along the way. In the past two days, everyone had analyzed the possibility that Fang La would directly attack Jiaxing. But now, there were actually a few troops coming to Huzhou, which made Chen Xingdou a little confused.
"General Chen." A respectful voice came from the side. It was Qian Haiping of the Qian family who also rode up on horseback. Chen Xingdou bowed and said, "Brother Qian, you flatter me. I'm not a general. Oh, Mr. Qian, you said that you were going to persuade those people to donate some belongings as a diversion. How did it go? "
Such a large team marched forward in a mighty manner, leaving behind a lot of information. Sometimes, some people even fell behind. Qian Haiping guessed that Fang La's army would definitely go after the team that carried more belongings, so he tried to persuade the rich families in the team to donate some of their belongings. But it seemed that it didn't achieve much.
"Although everyone agreed at first, they then argued endlessly about the shares of each family. In this situation, these people are still so short-sighted. It's really … Sigh, most of them were persuaded by Liheng to leave the city together. It's a pity that Liheng isn't here. Otherwise, it would be easier to solve this problem. Now … we'll see the results later."
Chen Xingdou nodded and then whispered the information brought back by the scouts, "That Young Master Ning said that Fang La would take Jiaxing, but now it seems that he's going to take Huzhou … In this case, we're walking on a dead end. Not far ahead, there's Qingfeng Camp and Xiaoluo Town. I heard that they've also been taken over by the rebels, but it's hard for us to take the long route …"
Qian Haiping thought for a while and said, "They're looting so leisurely … No, if they're really going to take Huzhou, they must be led by a general in Fang La's army. Why would they be so lax? If they're really going to take Jiaxing, these troops must be going to harass Huzhou and stop the rescue! Moreover, after the right to loot in Hangzhou City was divided, these people were released to create chaos and to track us. This is bad, where else can we turn to? They're going to take Jiaxing and Luohu Prefecture. We have to go further northwest … "
"How can we go northwest now? If we turn again, I'm afraid we'll be surrounded by Fang La's bandits …"
"We have to discuss this immediately."
At this time, there were naturally a large number of people who could serve as advisors and give advice. After Qian Haiping said this, she turned around to call these people. Chen Xingdou nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Qian. Oh yes, where's the Young Master Ning and his wife?"
"He was slightly injured after fighting with Shi Bao and Liu Dabiao's son at Taiping Alley. But this morning, his wound was festering and evil entered his body. Although the doctor treated him, he was left behind in the morning. Sigh …"
Chen Xingdou was slightly stunned. "Actually, I didn't listen to Mr. Qian's introduction. The Ning couple are only in their early twenties. They're so young. Could it be that … they really fought with Shi Bao and Liu Dabiao's son head-on?"
Qian Haiping thought for a while. "I didn't believe it at first, but … if the bandits outside the city could resist for two more days, these people might have been dragged out and captured in one fell swoop. Actually, at that time, we thought that Fang Qifo was also in the city. The fight between Ning Liheng and Shi Bao was real. On that day, even Shi Bao almost died in his hands. As far as I know, a leader of the bandits named Gou Zheng was killed by him on the spot. As for the rest, we can't be sure … there wasn't much time at that time … "
"… Oh." Chen Xingdou thought for a while before nodding to show that he understood. On the other side, Qian Haiping raised the reins and was about to move forward. But she narrowed her eyes and looked at the back of the team. A galloping horse passed through the crowd and galloped forward. She also saw the few people on the hillside. Along the way, Ning Yi and his wife saluted on the back of the horse. Seeing that Ning Yi had returned, Qian Haiping was quite happy. Chen Xingdou also looked at the couple more seriously. In the past few days, the situation was chaotic. He didn't pay much attention to such young people. Even if Ning Yi put forward some ideas and speculations, they could only be accepted after the discussion of others.
Of course, this was not the time to talk about honor or anything else. Qian Haiping wanted to go and call them over, but Chen Xingdou simply explained the current situation. In fact, it was no more than 150 kilometers from Hangzhou to Huzhou or Jiaxing in a straight line. However, the waterways in the south of the Yangtze River were crisscrossing, and it was very easy to be blocked. Without boats, they could only cross the river by bridges in certain places. At this moment, the road was blocked by bandits in the front, and Fang La's army had caught up with them. The team was not moving fast, and the space for them to move was getting smaller and smaller.
They didn't expect Ning Yi to have the power to change the situation, but now that they had paid great attention to the situation, they could explain it to him more clearly. Ning Yi frowned. After a long while, he cautiously opened his mouth to Chen Xingdou.
"I want … General Chen to arrange a few veterans or scouts who know the situation in Fang La's army for me. I want to ask them some questions. Also, I want a map of the nearby area, and a few people who are really familiar with the situation here. Maybe … "
He paused for a moment. "Maybe I can make the situation a little better …" He was still having a fever at this moment, and it was going to get worse. Therefore, he didn't speak in a loud tone but in a low and calm tone. Chen Xingdou looked at him for a while and nodded.
Su Tan 'er sat in front of Ning Yi and lowered her head to hold his injured arm. She was quiet, and the sunlight was a little dazzling …
*****
I didn't update yesterday, but I updated 6,000 today ^ _ ^
He recommended two books to his friend. One of them was called The Bloody War of Resistance. Introduction: Like other university students, the direction of the History Department also faced all kinds of pressure from society, but fate brought him to the era of the Anti-Japanese War, where the flames of war raged everywhere. So … history, which was originally useless, can play a role in this era. Can he use the knowledge he has learned to make full use of it in this era?
Everything is still unknown … "
The other book was "Happy Field and Happy Land" for girls. The author's name was "Bound by the Ring Finger". Oh, it's a friend, not a girlfriend. I might as well read it for girls. ^_^
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
