Some bad news was bound to come.
The only difference was whether it was bad news or worse news.
However, the Wu Army's commander received even worse news.
After a series of explosions in the castle, Wu Mu wanted to send the last of his troops into the castle.
But as conservative as he was, he gave up.
Just like that!
It was dawn!
Then the Kim family's troops appeared on top of the castle wall again.
Jin Mulan appeared.
Jin Shiying appeared.
Finally, Jin Zhuo also appeared.
Xuanwu Marquis Jin Zhuo!
Everyone exclaimed.
Wasn't Marquis Jin Zhuo dead?
Not only had he not appeared for a long time, but many signals had confirmed that he was dead.
At this time!
He appeared on top of the castle wall.
This was a huge blow to the morale of the Wu army outside the castle.
Wu Mu's vision darkened, as if he was about to faint!
At this time, Jin Shiying stepped forward and threw a head down.
It was Wu Mu's trusted general, Wu Lian.
"Bang bang bang bang …"
Then thousands of heads were thrown down.
It was as if it was raining human heads.
These were the heads of the Wu army. Each one was in pain, and they had died miserably. Their skin was charred.
Jin Shiying said coldly, "Wu Mu, the 10,000 troops you sent into the castle have been wiped out. They were supposed to be killed, but the master was merciful and captured the remaining 7,000. "
At this time, Wu You woke up. Seeing Jin Shiying on top of the castle wall, she almost fainted again.
"Jin Shiying, you lied to me, you lied to me …" Wu You screamed and almost vomited a mouthful of blood.
Jin Shiying looked at her and didn't say anything.
Wu You was about to rush forward.
General Wu Mu grabbed her and said loudly, "Don't do that. You look weak."
She took a deep breath.
Wu Mu said, "Marquis Xuanwu, everyone says you are honest, but it seems that is not the case."
Jin Zhuo said, "Marquis Wu, you are mistaken. Honesty is honesty, not stupidity."
Marquis Xuanwu's honesty came from his heart and bones, not from fishing for fame. He did things based on his heart, not for fame.
"Wu Hou, do you still want to continue?"
Wu Mu looked behind him, there were about 17,000 troops, but 5,000 of them were Vengeful Howl Pirates.
But look at the top of the city wall!
The Kim family gained another two thousand samurai.
These two thousand warriors had never appeared before. Even when the battle was at its most intense, they did not move.
They didn't belong to the Kim family, but were warriors of the Heavenly Law Association.
Now, the number of Wu Jun soldiers was still four times that of the Kim family.
However, Wu Mu knew that he could no longer take down this turtle-shell-like castle.
This was a kind of power.
Wu Jun had already used all his strength. Last night was his final attack.
Last night, not only did they fail to take it down, they even lost 10,000 of their main forces.
Then there would be no more chances.
He had brought 30,000 soldiers, but only 12,000 were left.
This loss was enough to make one vomit blood.
In the end, he still didn't gain anything.
Marquis Jin Zhuo said, "Marquis Wu, do we still fight?"
The big castle in front of him was definitely unbreakable.
What should he do next?
Continue to besiege this big castle?
Or should they retreat to the other two castles of the Raging Tide City?
Or should they completely retreat to Tianfeng City?
At this moment, Marquis Jin Zhuo said, "Marquis Wu, we still have 7,000 captives. Do you want them?"
Hearing this, Wu Mu trembled.
The Kim family hadn't killed all 10,000 of them? And even captured 7,000?
Of course!
These were 7,000 people, and almost all of them were under Wu Mu's command.
Their injuries could be treated. As long as they were alive, it was fine.
Of course he wanted them!
Jin Zhuo said, "Marquis Wu, these 7,000 captives are locked up in the dungeon. Every one of them has burns on their bodies and needs treatment as soon as possible. If you want these 7,000 captives, you have to hurry. Otherwise, they will all die in a few days."
Wu Mu said loudly, "Marquis Xuanwu, you think you are a noble person. Are you just going to watch as my 7,000 captives die?"
Jin Zhuo said, "I have never thought I was a noble person. I can't decide what others think of me. But to be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself. I understand this principle. "
Jin Shiying stood up and said, "Marquis Wu, do you want to take back these 7,000 captives? Then let's make a deal. You can exchange one head for these 7,000 captives. It's a very good deal. "
Hearing this.
One of the soldiers was scared out of his wits.
Pirate King Chou Tianwei's adopted son, Tianfeng City Lord Chou Hao.
If it was an ordinary person, they would definitely shout that Marquis Wu must not do such a thing.
But Chou Hao was a pirate leader and was naturally suspicious. After hearing Jin Shiying's words, he immediately retreated!
Jin Shiying said, "Marquis Wu Mu, as long as you kill Chou Hao, we will return the 7,000 captives to you. It's a huge profit!"
Chou Hao's expression changed drastically.
"Go, go, go!"
"Retreat back to Tianfeng Island!"
He didn't give Wu Mu any chance and immediately led his 5,000 troops to retreat.
Wu Mu was shocked and shouted, "General Zhenhai, please wait. General Zhenhai, please wait. I, Wu Mu, will never do such a thing."
As he caught up, the army behind him also caught up.
Chou Hao was shocked. He suddenly pulled out his saber and shouted, "Marquis Wu, in order to not cause a misunderstanding, your army must not come up again. Otherwise, we will meet on the battlefield."
Wu Mu was furious.
This Chou Hao was really a dog, turning hostile at any time.
The key was that he really didn't want to kill Chou Hao. Although he wanted the 7,000 captives back, he definitely wouldn't use Chou Hao's head to exchange for them.
He didn't like Chou Hao, but he also knew that he couldn't kill Chou Hao.
Otherwise, who would dare to rely on him in the future?
Most importantly, once Chou Hao died, what would happen to the control of the sea?
But Chou Hao didn't think so.
He had the heart of a villain. He felt that Wu Mu would definitely kill him in exchange for the 7,000 captives and annex his fleet.
He definitely wouldn't take the risk.
Seeing Chou Hao's army pull out their swords, Wu Mu hurriedly stopped and continued to shout, "General Chou Hao, you must not leave. How about this, you stay in the West Castle of Raging Tide City. That castle originally belonged to you, and I will stay in the East Castle of Raging Tide City. Our two families will form a triangle and continue to surround the big castle of the Kim family. The battle of Raging Tide City hasn't reached the point of despair yet. I will immediately write to His Majesty and ask him to send more troops! "
Chou Hao's eyes flickered. He was quite tempted by Wu Mu's proposal.
At this moment, An Zaitian suddenly laughed out loud.
"Chou Hao, you fool. Wu Mu definitely can't take down Raging Tide City, so he wants you to stay here and restrain the Kim family. Meanwhile, the State of Wu will settle for the next best thing, which is to seize your Wind Island. This way, it won't be a total loss."
As soon as this was said, Chou Hao's expression changed drastically.
He felt that this was very reasonable.
The State of Wu had paid such a huge price, so they couldn't come here for nothing. Therefore, they would definitely seize his Wind Island.
"Let's go, let's go back to Wind City!"
"Wu Hou, I'm afraid that something will happen to Wind Island. I'll take my leave first."
Then, he led the 5,000 troops and quickly retreated, running toward the seaside pier.
Wu Mu chased after him again, "General Chou Hao, don't fall for it, don't fall for it!"
"General Chou Hao, don't you want your position as a Count anymore?"
Chou Hao immediately stopped in his tracks and sneered, "Of course I want my position as a Count, but I also need my life. These days, everything else is fake. Only the territory and the troops in my hands are real."
Then, Chou Hao's troops retreated cleanly.
He boarded the ship and returned to Heavenly Wind Island without looking back.
"Stupid, greedy, despicable, lowly …"
Wu Mu was furious, cursing Chou Hao with all his might.
You pirate, can't you have a little more trust in me?
At this critical moment, as the commander, how can I have an internal conflict with you?
I am the dignified Wu Hou, the cousin of the King, and I have a distinguished status. What I want is the entire Leizhou Archipelago, what I want is the Raging Tide City.
If I can't get the Raging Tide City, what's the point of having Wind Island?
But for a pirate like Chou Hao, even if you tried to reason with him, it would be useless.
He was naturally suspicious and cunning, and there was no way to reason with him.
Therefore, whenever Zhang Chong dealt with Chou Hou, he would always put on an attitude of entrusting his life to him.
Every time, he would only bring a few people on Chou Hao's ships.
Even in Wind Island, Zhang Chong's troops would definitely be much smaller than Chou Hao's, and Chou Hao would definitely not feel the slightest bit uneasy.
But Wu Mu was too young to notice this.
Zhang Chong could handle a suspicious and cunning pirate like Chou Hao, but Wu Mu was still lacking.
… …
Wu Mu returned to the front of the Raging Tide City's castle.
Jin Zhuo said, "Wu Hou, do we still fight?"
Wu Mu was in great pain.
He had not expected that once the situation collapsed, it would be so thorough.
Even if the main force of 10,000 had been destroyed, he and Chou Hao still had 17,000 troops, still four times that of the Kim family.
He led the army to Chou Yao Er's castle, while Chou Hao led the army to the East Castle of the Raging Tide City.
This way, they could still surround the Kim family.
And the Kim family continued to be locked down on the sea.
Although they couldn't directly take down the Raging Tide City, they could still maintain the strategic initiative.
Then, the Wu State would send 10,000 reinforcements south to attack the Raging Tide City's castle again.
This time, they didn't expect anyone to open the castle gate. They would take it down even if they had to sacrifice their lives.
Therefore, although he lost this battle.
But he didn't lose.
But Chou Hao's departure left Wu Mu's 12,000 troops here.
Of course, this was still three times that of the Kim family.
But what was the use?
He had lost control of the sea!
As long as Chou Hao retreated to Wind Island.
The Kim family's fleet would definitely regain control of the sea in this area again.
At that time, it would be Wu Mu's 12,000 troops who would be trapped in the city.
What should he do next?
To leave or to stay, he needed to make a decision as soon as possible.
Wu Mu racked his brains.
He didn't want to retreat just like that.
He wasn't willing to!
He clearly still had 12,000 soldiers.
He could send four thousand sailors to the surface of the sea to control the sea.
The remaining 8,000 could occupy the east and west castles of the Raging Tide City and continue to surround the Raging Tide City's castle.
This wasn't enough.
As long as they didn't attack, they should be able to hold on.
But what about food?
The food they brought was limited and would be used up.
Once the army ran out of food, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But the Kim family didn't have any food shortage crisis. Who knew how much food was stored in his castle, enough to last them for several years.
It would take at least a month and a half for the Wu State to send reinforcements south to attack the Raging Tide City again.
Could Wu Mu's food last until then?
No!
Transporting food from the Wu State?
That would take a long time.
Should he directly buy food in the Raging Tide City or just rob it?
Even worse!
The merchants in the Raging Tide City all had armed guards. Now that the Wu State and the Kim family were at war, they closed their doors and remained neutral.
And once the Wu army robbed them of their food, this group of people would immediately stand on the side of the Jin family and attack them together.
At that time, Wu Mu would really be in a sea of merchants.
He racked his brains but couldn't come up with a perfect plan.
This was the enemy's territory, the home ground of the Kim family.
Moreover, even if the Kim family's navy couldn't beat Chou Hou's fleet, couldn't they beat Wu Mu's fleet?
They were all rookies on the sea.
Once he lost control of the sea, it would be wishful thinking for him to escape back to the Wu State.
What was the use of having three times the number of troops?
He couldn't stay, but he didn't want to retreat.
For a moment, Wu Mu felt incomparable pain.
Plus he hadn't slept for several days, he felt dizzy and fainted.
… …
More than an hour later!
Wu Mu woke up You You.
Looking up, he saw a dozen pairs of anxious eyes.
"What's wrong? What happened this time? "
The general said: "The Kim family sent out all seven thousand of our captives."
Wu Mu was stunned.
Wasn't it better to return the captives?
One of the generals said, "Every one of these seven thousand people is severely injured and has a fever. We need to treat them quickly, otherwise, they will all die."
Wu Mu understood.
These seven thousand captives were actually a burden.
A burden that would drag down his twelve thousand troops to death. If they continued to stay in Raging Tide City, these seven thousand injured captives would all die.
"Also, seventy percent of our rations were burned." Wu You said.
"What?" Wu Mu exclaimed: "How did this happen? Our rations were so well guarded, with buckets of water on all sides, ready to put out the fire at any time. Why were they still burned? "
Wu You said: "The Kim family used some kind of weapon, but when it came into contact with our rations, it ignited a green will-o '-the-wisp. Even water couldn't extinguish it, and it even burned on the water surface."
It really was a case of when it rains.
Wu Mu, who had just woken up, felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He didn't spit out blood, but he vomited a mouthful of phlegm with traces of blood.
Now he could finally make up his mind.
"Retreat, retreat …"
The general under his command said, "Retreat? Where are we going?"
Wu Mu's tears flowed down: "Return to the Wu State."
The general said: "Aren't we returning to Wind City? We can destroy Chou Howl and take Wind Island. "
Wu Mu shook his head and sighed: "If we can't take Raging Tide City, what's the point of taking Wind Island? It's more useful in the hands of that scoundrel Chou Howl than in our hands. "
At this moment, Wu Mu was reflecting.
He was still too inexperienced!
From the start of the war, he actually didn't make any mistakes.
He even fell for the Kim family's evil scheme, causing the deaths of ten thousand elites. This was just a matter of being inferior, not a mistake.
But if he was an experienced commander, after ten thousand elites were destroyed, he would have thought of Chou Howl as a variable.
Either he appeased him immediately, or he killed him decisively and seized his fleet.
Instead of waiting for the Kim family to pierce through this layer of paper and drive a wedge between him and Chou Howl.
"Retreat, retreat …"
Wu Mu ordered with tears streaming down his face.
Wu You suddenly said, "Grand Marshal, we have 7,000 injured captives, and it'll be extremely troublesome to retreat. It'll even affect the speed of the entire army boarding the ships. This is the moment when we're at our weakest. Will the Kim Clan seize this opportunity to launch a sneak attack?"
Wu Mu shook his head: "No, they won't."
After the experience of this battle.
At least he understood some things.
If there were no seven thousand captives, the Kim family might take advantage of their boarding time to attack.
But with seven thousand seriously injured captives, the Kim family would not launch a sneak attack.
Because Kim Cho's moral character was indeed very high.
A few hours later!
Wu Mu's army of twelve thousand retreated to the north in dozens of ships!
More than half a month ago, he led an army of thirty thousand to the south in a mighty manner. How majestic and how fierce he was.
He felt that a great achievement was right in front of him!
But now, he fled with his tail between his legs, like a stray dog.
In just half a month, the situation was like heaven and hell.
Wu Mu lay on the deck, looking at the sky in pain, watching the setting sun in the west.
In this battle, he had learned a lot and learned a lot.
But …
Did he still have a chance to correct it?
After such a great defeat, did he still have a chance to make a comeback?
Your Majesty, I failed. I failed to live up to your trust.
I deserve to die ten thousand times!
His defeat did not matter, and even his own future did not matter. The key was, what kind of blow would His Majesty suffer?
What kind of counterattack would the conservative old officials in the court do?
What kind of damage would it do to His Majesty's prestige?
Thinking of this, Wu Mu felt his heart wrench again.
Your Majesty, I deserve to die ten thousand times, I deserve to die ten thousand times!
Wu Mu, who had suffered two huge blows before, did not vomit blood.
But when he thought of what kind of blow King Wu would suffer, he could not help but vomit a mouthful of blood!
… …
In the Qiang Kingdom!
Seven days had passed since Su Nan's escape.
They were almost one thousand and eight hundred kilometers away from the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence.
In these seven days, the entire Su Clan practically didn't stop to rest. They traveled day and night without rest.
In these seven days, people could go hungry, but horses had to eat well.
People could not rest, but horses had to rest.
The eighth day!
At this time, they were already two thousand kilometers away from the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence.
They were less than one thousand and three hundred kilometers away from the Western Region.
Su Nan had sent scouts in all four directions to monitor every movement within a two hundred kilometer radius.
The scouts behind them were especially far away.
If there were enemies chasing after them, his scouts would immediately rush over to report to him.
Even if the enemies were four or five hundred kilometers behind them, Su Nan would immediately know.
"My Lord, there are no enemies in front, on the left, or on the right."
"My Lord, there are no enemies four or five hundred kilometers behind us!"
Su Nan could not help but heave a long sigh of relief when he heard these reports.
The entire Su family was safe!
Be it Zheng Tuo or Shen Lang, neither of them could catch up.
Most of the Qiang Kingdom's main cavalry had died in the Great Robbery Palace, and the rest were in Shen Lang's hands. They were still in the State of Yue.
In a few days, the entire Su family would enter the Western Region.
They were finally safe!
Fortunately, he had been decisive. After the news of the main force's defeat had spread, he had only delayed it for one night before leading the entire family to escape.
Otherwise, the Su family might have been surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers by now, and the destruction of the entire family would have been right in front of them!
"My Lord, the morale of the army is very low!"
"The further we are from home, the lower the morale."
"Many soldiers have already guessed that we are going to escape. The warriors are unwilling to leave their homes, and are complaining in private!"
That was for sure!
At first, the thousands of soldiers had thought that it was just an ordinary expedition, but now they were getting further and further away from the State of Yue, heading west.
Even an idiot could guess that the Su family was going to escape.
And they were not going to Chu.
If they were going to Chu, they should be heading north, not west.
Therefore, they were going to the Western Region.
The Su family's private army could still accept escaping to Chu. After all, it was a civilized country, and their Lord could be made a marquis there.
However, once they went to the western region, that was a barbarian land, extremely chaotic. Once they went there, they might have to fight again, and they would have to fight for territory again.
Su Nan was far-sighted, but the troops below him were not like that.
What they wanted was a comfortable life, a sturdy castle.
They were not willing to go to the Western Region, where there were foreigners everywhere.
Su Nan said lightly, "Do you see that? This is the human heart. But don't worry, as long as they reach the Western Region, they will have no choice but to stay by my side and be more loyal to me. Even if they complain, it's only a thousand miles away. "
Su Zhan said, "Give them some gold to stimulate their morale."
Gold was useful at any time.
Su Yong said, "We don't have much gold left."
Su Nan asked, "How much?"
Su Wu said, "Only four hundred thousand."
Su Nan's eyes narrowed. So little?
It was actually quite a lot!
However, for this battle, Su Nan had already paid too much gold coins.
He hired the monk soldiers of the Great Tribulation Temple, hired mercenaries from the Western Region, and bribed King Qiang.
Especially when Su Nan's army attacked the White Night Prefecture, the gold they spent every day was an astronomical figure.
Moreover, the most important thing in a war was food, so Su Nan had exchanged a large amount of gold into food and hoarded it in the Marquis' residence.
And most of the food couldn't be taken away.
Su Nan only had five thousand people in his hands. After going to the Western Region, he couldn't use force to open the way, so he had to use gold.
The people of the Western Region were more greedy than the people of the East.
These forty or so gold coins were too much for him to handle.
If he had a large amount of gold, Su Nan was confident that he could open up the situation in the Western Region in a short time and occupy a territory.
Moreover, he and Suo Guo were in-laws.
Su Yong suddenly said, "My Lord, there is a lot of gold in the Qiang Palace. Arugon has plundered for decades and poured all the gold into his palace. The roof is gold, the ground is also gold, it's worth at least two million gold! "
Su Nan's eyes narrowed when he heard this.
He knew better than Su Yong how many gold coins there were in the Qiang Palace.
Arugon was such a madman that he didn't spend the gold coins he robbed and used them all to build the palace.
His palace, a mere Barbarian King, was more magnificent than King Chu and King Yue.
But his aesthetic was extremely crude and had no artistic beauty at all. He directly melted the gold and smeared it on the walls, roof, and ground!
Therefore, the surface of his palace was covered in gold.
But these days, he deliberately didn't think about the gold.
Because he knew his shortcoming, he was too greedy.
Once greed was aroused, it couldn't be suppressed!
Immediately, Su Nan fell into a difficult decision and torment.
No, he couldn't go to the Qiang Palace. He couldn't be greedy. Hadn't the previous lesson been cruel enough?
But the Su Clan was too short of gold. With the gold from the Qiang Palace, he could save at least two to three years of hard work in the Western Region.
Two to three years, how precious was that?
I, Su Nan, am already sixty years old. How many more years can I have?
Crown Prince Su Jianting might already be dead.
Next, his most outstanding son, Su Jianzhang, was only eighteen this year.
I need to build a foundation in a few years, then spend a few more years to nurture Su Jianzhang.
My time is really tight.
I need this gold too much.
Qiang King Arugon's decades of accumulation and the Qiang Kingdom's hundred years of plundering.
It's almost two million gold coins.
It's even more than the State of Yue's annual taxes.
Do I just give up like this?
For a moment, Su Nan couldn't make a decision.
Reason told him that he should focus on escaping to the Western Region. He couldn't stop for any food, even if it was two million gold coins.
But his impulse made him want to get the gold coins.
The Qiang Palace was less than two hundred miles away from here. The gold coins were easily within his reach.
It was like a piece of juicy meat in his mouth. Wouldn't he eat it?
This was like a man with strong needs. When he was being chased by hoodlums, he wouldn't stop even if there was a naked beauty by the side of the road.
But once he escaped, he would be able to leave the hooligans several days behind. At this time, a drunken beauty appeared beside him and was constantly teasing him. How could he still hold himself back?
Absolutely not!
"Where are the scouts? Are there any enemies behind us? "
"My Lord, there are no enemies within five hundred miles behind us!"
Su Zhan trembled. "Brother, go and snatch it! Once we get the gold, our brothers won't complain and won't cause trouble. "
Su Yong said, "My Lord, once we get the gold coins, we'll be able to expand our influence in the Western Region! In a short time, we'll be able to make a name for ourselves. With enough gold coins, the king of the Suo Kingdom can even make you the governor of a province. "
This was true.
In the countries of the Western Region, anything could be bought with money, even an official position.
Su Nan gritted his teeth. "No, we won't go to the Qiang Palace. Don't waste any time. The most important thing now is to go to the Western Region!"
Then, Su Nan ordered loudly, "We've rested enough. Continue our journey, all the way west, all the way west!"
Perhaps the lesson from last time was too deep. Su Nan resolutely gave the order not to go to the Qiang Palace to snatch the gold.
But only the heavens knew that when he gave the order, he used up almost all of his strength.
The astronomical amount of gold coins in the Qiang Palace was more tempting to him than anyone else.
Su Nan had already given the order.
No matter how unwilling Su Zhan and Su Yong were, they could only carry out the order.
… …
But!
The Su Clan's army was unwilling to leave. They were unwilling to continue westward.
Su Nan was furious. "Why are they unwilling to leave? It's only been a few days! Are these people going to disobey orders? "
Su Yong said, "Many of our brothers know that there's gold in the Qiang Palace. They want to take it before leaving."
Su Nan walked out!
Immediately, thousands of Su Clan's private army knelt down.
"My Lord, there are no pursuers for a few hundred li. The Qiang Palace is less than 200 li away from us!"
"My Lord, we know that we have to go to the Western Region. But our brothers are worried that they have nothing. With the gold, our brothers will be able to eat and drink in the Western Region. "
"My Lord, the Qiang Palace is only 200 li away. A few million gold coins are right in front of us. Are we not going to take it?"
"My Lord, after we get the gold, our brothers will only take one-tenth of it. The rest will be given to you for your development."
"My Lord, please have mercy!"
"My Lord, please have mercy!"
More than 4,000 private soldiers knelt down and begged Su Nan to show mercy.
In the face of the astronomical amount of gold, no one could resist the temptation.
Su Nan's balance, which was already on the verge of collapse, shifted completely at this moment.
All the troops under him requested to take the gold.
This time, they had no choice but to take it.
Su Nan said angrily, "You guys, you guys!"
Then, he ordered, "Everyone, head south. Use the fastest speed to snatch the gold from the Qiang Palace, then immediately head west."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Long live the Lord!"
"Long live the Lord!"
The morale of the Su Clan's private army, which was originally low, suddenly rose.
Then, Su Nan quickly led 5,000 people south and rushed to the Qiang Palace to snatch the gold.
Many results were inevitable!
Especially human nature.
The situation was indeed not out of Shen Lang's expectations!
After Su Nan escaped from the hopeless situation, he finally entered hell again!
The Qiang Palace was filled with gold!
But for the Su Clan, it was hell!
The hell that Shen Lang had set up an inescapable net!
… …..
Note: The second update has been sent. It already has 16,000 words. I will continue writing the third update! Begging for monthly votes. Urgent urgent urgent, brothers, pull me up!
Thank you Tingyu for your reward of 10000.
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