Chapter 17 Mutiny after a tiger's tail

Ten days after I recovered, the Imperial Army was in real trouble.

Now it's one for every two people a day. In fact, all we could do was to gather the bread and mix it with the occasional snake and human flesh to make a big pot of soup and then pour it into our bellies. I eat a pot of soup every day. Although I feel full after eating, I can hear the sound of my stomach even when I walk around.

Sitting in the tent, listening to the sound of rain on the tent, I drank a bowl of the soup Wu Wanling had sent me and wiped a few beads of sweat from my forehead. The soup was boiling hot, but I didn't seem to feel it when I drank it. At least the city doesn't run out of water. Southern Xinjiang is usually rainy, and there are Wells everywhere in the city, which is always a good luck.

After drinking a bowl, I said, "Sue Wenyue, you can have this bowl."

The two bowls Wu Wanling gave me were probably made to be the last. They were thick, with minced meat and flour paste together. Each bowl did not seem to be much less than the previous one. Although I and Wu Wanling said, I want to share the ups and downs with the dragon Scale army, but looking at Su Wenyue increasingly thin appearance, I really can not refuse Wu Wanling's kindness.

Su Wenyue was sewing the rags of the Dragon Scale Army. When I called, she turned around, smiled faintly and said, "General, you eat first."

"I'm full. You eat."

I said so, but looking at this steaming bowl of soup, I really wanted more. Su Wenyue said, "I can't eat that much. Please eat more, general."

I hesitated for a moment, said: "Then I will eat some more."

I poured some of the contents of that bowl into the bowl I had just finished eating. I shook the soup before pouring it, fearing that it would sink if it had been kept long. But once I fell down, I found that I had fallen a little too much, almost half of the upside down. I thought for a moment and poured back some of what was in my bowl. I drank up what was poured out in one gulp and said, "OK, you eat it."

She put down her needle and thread, walked to the table, looked at the bowl, and said, "General, are you sure you don't want it? I still can't eat a little."

I have a pain in my heart. She said so, but looking at the bowl of hot eyes shining, really did not seem unable to eat. I said: "Eat quickly, eat clean, or cold."

I poured a bowl of water and ate up some of the residue in my own bowl. She picked up the bowl and began to drink slowly.

She drank it silently, which was very interesting. I watched her eat the soup with another dull ache in my heart.

How much did she suffer in the city? She hasn't had a full meal probably since we laid siege. When the Republican Army ran out of food, it preyed on people, first the old and the weak, and later the women and children. If we continue to surround ourselves, we will not have to destroy the city, which will eat each other up.

She took two sips, put down the bowl, exhaled, smiled at me and said, "It's delicious."

Is it good? That kind of stuff you probably wouldn't feed your dog in peacetime. I crossed my legs. "What did you eat when the Republicans were defending the city?"

Her face fell and tears fell from the corners of her eyes. I looked at her, regretting asking her this, and she suddenly said, "First, we ate old rice, then bark, roots, and soldiers' horses. Later, when there was nothing to eat, soldiers everywhere rushed to people's houses to find food. If there was nothing to eat, they would kill people. We hid in our houses and did not dare to go out."

The corners of my mouth twitched. The Republican rhetoric of "civil rights first" may not be remembered until the last minute. I said, "What do you eat?"

Her face blushed a little. "I have a fiance who is an officer in the Republican Army, and he brings in a little food every now and then. That's what kept me and my parents going to the end."

"And then?"

She stared blankly into space. It was still raining outside, and inside the tent, only the walls were visible. She seemed to be looking far away, with tears running down her face.

"The city was broken that day. Chaos reigned. Our family hid in the house, afraid to come out, until you, your people rushed into the house."

I said nothing more. There were many people like her in the High Eagle City. I sighed and said, "If only there were no war."

Su Wenyue looked at me, a little timidly, as if she didn't know whether I was telling the truth or not. Perhaps I was too rare a soldier to believe. "You can eat," I said. "At least you won't be afraid while I'm here."

She lowered her head, took another sip, and said, "General, are you taking me back to the Imperial capital?"

I couldn't help smiling wryly. Is it possible to return to the Imperial capital now? We are already hanging on in the city, and I doubt if we can even make it to the day when reinforcements from Lord Wen arrive. "Don't think about it," I said. "I'll take you wherever you want to go when the war is over. Are there any relatives?"

Her face darkened and she said, "There is nothing left."

Her fiance was probably killed on the battlefield. I sighed again and said, "Don't think so far ahead. Marry me if you want to follow me."

The bowl she was holding dropped onto the table, but there was not much left. She said, "What did you say, General?"

"I say, marry me some day, if you like."

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she bent her head and drank the bottom of the soup. I smiled and said, "Don't choke. Drink slowly."

She looked up and gave me another look. I felt a shiver in my heart as I met her eyes. What a look it was, full of gratitude and pain, but I could see no love.

A woman like Su Wenyue was, in peacetime, if not a socialite, a lovely little gem. If I had asked her to marry me with such a touch of pity, she would have scorned me. But now it seemed to her like a gift.

Just because of the war.

I stood up, said: "You eat, eat after clean up, don't work too tired."

Su Wenyue had finished her drink by this time. She put down her bowl and said, "General Chu, where are you going?"

"I'm going to see my sick brother."

I pulled back the curtain and went out.

Perhaps it was just the grateful look in her eyes. Off the books, I thought lightly.

The rain was still falling, and it made a soft noise against my armor. In the middle of the rainy season in southern Xinjiang, the rain is always fine and dense, as if everything is wet and uncomfortable.

At that moment, Yu Dai came out of a tent. Seeing me, he said, "Governor, it is raining. Come in quickly."

I went over and asked, "How are our sick brothers?"

The Serpents must attack once a day, but the first strike is a feint. But in this way, too, we were tired, and though we knew that the Serpents were feinting, we were not careless at every turn.

Yu Dai said, "Not very well. The temperature has not gone down yet. The most serious one has not gone down for three days."

In the past ten days, nearly ten members of the Dragon Scale Army have also fallen ill, with symptoms similar to mine. If you get a good rest, you'll probably recover soon. But I have the white rice specially given by the Lord Wu to make porridge to drink. What do they have to eat? It's just a little bit more soup. I said: "Have you asked the medical officer to see?"

Yu Dai said, "Doctor Ye has seen it. He told me that he has some herbs in his camp. He asked me to take them today.

I said, "I'll go, you watch them."

Ye Tai's medical skills are very good, but now, there may be four Imperial army sick, he may not be able to control. I let a small army with a horse, said: "General Yu, you and General Jin, General Wu here to guard, do not go on business trips."

Yu promised, I rode out of the camp.

The garrison at the West Gate was in good spirits. Despite Shen Xiping's death and Luan Peng's remonseigence, Yue Guohua took some conciliating measures against the right army after his succession. Those officers who had been implicated by Luan Peng's remonseigence were not investigated, and Chai Shengxiang was still Wanfu commander, so the army was still determined.

Outside the camp, the rain became heavier. I looked back at the stretch of barracks and saw a blur. As they approached the camp, they heard a groan.

I jumped off my horse and a soldier came up to me and said, "General Chu, you've come too."

It was a soldier of the baggage battalion. The baggage-battalion had also been badly weakened since the fall at the northern Gate, but now they had little to do. I said, "Where are you adults?"

"He's changing his dressing in there."

I tied up my horse and went in. The soldier took a towel from one side and said, "General Chu, you wipe."

I wiped my rain-soaked face and looked into the camp. The medical camp was full, half of them unharmed. The disease has spread throughout the army, I thought a little worriedly. At that moment, a voice was heard Shouting: "General Chu!"

It was De Yang. He had no armor on, but his robe had been loosened to reveal half his body, and a medical officer was changing the bandage on him. I walked over and said, "Hello, Lord De."

"Why," he grinned, "those monsters were so cruel. I've been there for ten days, and I'm still bruised."

I smiled. He was in far less shape than I was, and I was nearly healed in seven days. His wound was like mine, but it looked as if it were only beginning to heal. I said: "You can rest assured, Doctor Ye is very clever, soon will be all right. By the way, where is Doctor Ye?"

De Yang's bandages had been fastened by this time. He put on his robe and said, "I was here a moment ago. There are sick men everywhere in the army. If it goes on like this, I'm afraid the whole army will lose its fighting power."

If one out of thirty of the Dragon Scales is sick, then about 90,000 of the whole army, 3,000 of them. This is not a large proportion, but if more sick people, it will indeed affect the effectiveness of the army. I myself was seriously ill, and for two days I did not know. The soldiers were not so ill as I was, but they certainly could not carry their arms into battle while they were ill.

I looked at the sick soldiers and said, "Lord De, how much surplus food is left in the army?"

I just casually asked, but De Yang seemed to hear some horrible words, small voice: "General Chu, don't say ah."

I started suddenly. There's a shortage of food in the army, and with all that, I'm afraid many will lose their morale. "All right," I said. I'll go and see Doctor Ye. You sit down, Lord De."

De Yang way: "General Chu, you that old Qi Lie can still think you ah, you don't go to see?"

I smiled and said, "How is he? It's been a long time."

"He kept a captive girl in his tent, and they were very affectionate. I'm afraid he's too obsessed with his words to remember you, the old officer."

I could not help wondering. De Yang never see Sue grain month, if he saw Sue grain month I do not know what words. I took leave of Deyang and went to Ye Tai, who was wounding a soldier of the Forward Battalion.

Before I got near him, a soldier suddenly stood up and said, "Doctor, I have been waiting for a long time. Why is it not my turn?"

The soldier who was bandaging said, "What's the matter with you? I was hurt worse than you."

The Forward Battalion soldier was probably new to me. I didn't know him. There was a long knife wound across his chest, and he was so tough that he did not even frown as Ye Tai tore apart the old gauze covered with blood. The soldier who argued with him said: "Bah, what great forward camp, we tiger's tail camp on the battlefield which point lagged behind, the war, you share more to eat, even the first medical camp."

The soldier of the forward battalion had wrapped himself up and stood up. "Men of the Tiger Tail Battalion, every time you hide behind us in battle, you still have the face to argue for anything. When you do as well as the Vanguard, you will eat as much as you can, and the Vanguard will not complain."

These words had a faint ring to them. I hear some unhappy, is to say what, the tiger's tail camp soldiers have jumped up and said: "Mom, you forward camp what smelly fart, Lao Tzu when a soldier, you boy is still eating milk."

Tiger Tail camp since not more forward camp, forward camp is the personal soldiers of the Marquis, all the way charge into battle, are the vanguard of the forward camp, made nearly half of the credit in the forward camp. The Tiger's Tail soldier had nothing to say about merit, so he took his age as an excuse. He was almost ten years older than the soldier in the Forward Battalion, and all that Suckling was nonsense. But when he said it, the soldier in the Forward Battalion was a little angry too, and said, "What the hell are you?"

As soon as they quarrelled, almost all the sick and wounded in the medical camp began to curse at each other. The Centre is probably still not as evenly distributed as the Right, with the forward and Reebok battalions getting a little more. Before the striker and Reebok camp attack more times, more others do not complain. Now they are standing guard in the city, and there is no doubt that many people are dissatisfied. All the contradictions of the previous battalions broke out. In the chaos, some people were scolding Lu Gongxing, some people were scolding Zhu Tianwei, the leader of the Tiger Tail camp, and even one of them was scolding me as well.

If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have known the extent of the conflict in the camps. I tried to keep order, but everyone was angry. I shouted twice. Where could anyone hear me? At this time, the tiger's tail battalion soldiers suddenly "choke" a sound out waist knife.

In the medical camp, although no one brought long weapons in, but most of the waist sword. As soon as he drew out his waist sword, many others also drew their swords. It seemed that the fight was imminent. "Stop!" my heart cried in a loud voice.

My voice is not too loud, but also let them terrified, at this time, the door also came a loud drink: "Stop!"

A tall officer in his forties strode in, accompanied by a troop of his own soldiers. This man is tiger tail camp control Zhu Tianwei.

The fifth battalion of the Chinese Army, though of varying numbers, are all elite. Tiger's Tail may not be as good as the Reebok and the Tiger's Tail, but how weak is there in the middle? Zhu Tianwei was also out of the forward battalion, starting from a junior officer, because of his war achievements until the tiger Tail battalion, has always been known as both smart and brave. When he entered, the men of the Tiger's Tail drooped their heads and their knives were drawn back.

Zhu Tianwei went up to the soldier who had quarreled first and slapped his face. "Snap!" one side of the soldier's face became red and swollen. At this time, Lu Gong Xing's voice came from the door: "Stop!"

He, too, rushed forward and backward. As soon as he entered the door, Zhu Tianwei saw me and me inside. Terrified, he said loudly: "All swords must be put in their sheaths. Do not move them."

He walked up to Zhu Tianwei and saluted: "General Zhu, my subordinates have been too rude, please forgive General Zhu."

Zhu Tianwei showed a hint of sarcasm, way: "General road polite, tiger tail camp people dare to dispute with you forward camp, I will do him heavily."

There was a hint of displeasure in his words about the forward camp. The road Gonggong said, "General Zhu, the whole army is in trouble now. We must not fight with each other. General Zhu, I hope you will forgive the rudeness of such ignorant people in my battalion."

His words were very sincere and polite. Zhu Tianwei drew a draw on his face and said, "General Lu, I have taken my brothers with me."

He came quickly and left quickly. After leaving Ye Tai, he took away a few quarreling Tiger's Tail soldiers. After he left, Lu Gongxing also ordered the soldier who had quarreled with the Tiger's Tail Battalion to be taken back to the camp. Then he said to me, "General Chu, you are here too."

At this time, I had asked Ye Tai for herbs and said, "General Lu, is the conflict in the fifth battalion of the Chinese army so great?"

Lu Gongxing nodded and walked out of the camp with me, saying, "Yes. Five battalions, a while ago forward camp and Reebok camp treatment is the best, it is very jealous of the other camps. Now, although the treatment is the same, but the other three battalions of resentment has not disappeared, very easy to friction."

I sighed. Left forward battalion but also ten days, did not expect the central army has become so. I said: "Now you have any strategy?"

"The East gate is sealed, too. Well, I'm really afraid we can't support Lord Wen."

"By the way," I said, "has the messenger come back?"

He sighed and said, "It would be better if I did. But so far, there has been no sign of him. Perhaps, those messengers did not make it back to the imperial capital. They were caught by the snake men on the way. Marquis Wen is still waiting for our class to celebrate."

I couldn't say a word. If the messenger does not reach the Imperial capital, then we are really waiting to die. Now I can neither advance nor retreat. Is the reputation of my whole life really going to be ruined here?

Lu Gongxing then said, "General Chu, I'm going back to camp. Are you going back too?"

I said, "Yes. Many of the Longscale Army are sick now. I have come to get some herbs from Doctor IP."

"It's all the same." Lu Gongxing was a little depressed. He looked at the archery in the wind and rain, where a few soldiers looked listlessly out of town. "Miasma disease rampant in the army, if this continues, Marquis Wen's reinforcements will come, I am afraid it will not be too late."

I had those thoughts too, but hearing them from Lu Gongxing's mouth made me feel even more chilled. Although the road Gong line is always not expected to win, the first expected defeat, is very serious, but has never lost confidence. But now he did not seem to have the confidence to walk away.

What if I die in the city? The thought of death had crossed my mind once in a while in battle, but it was only a passing thought. I have no relatives, and if I die in battle, I can only add a worthy soldier to the books of the baggage camp, probably without a stipend. Thinking about it today, it still is.

But I already have something in my heart.

It's not the white viticulum, it's not the Sue Moon, it's her.

If I'm gonna die in battle, I want to see her before I die.

The rain hit my forehead and made me smile and shake my head. As I shake my head, the rain from my hair is brushed away and my forehead is chilled. I said: "General Lu, you also have too little confidence in Ye's medical skills."

"No," he said flatly. "Remember what I said to you when we met the snake?"

"Remember," I said, "you told me we didn't know what to do if the Republicans domesticated a team of Serpents."

He nodded. "Exactly. At the time, he was only surprised by the sporadic presence of snake people in the city, thinking that they were some undomesticated beasts of the Republican Army. But now it seems that the snake people were far from domesticated. The snake people were so intelligent and almost human that the Republican Army was never able to domesticate them. Then I'm afraid the snake Man didn't have a person behind him, but appeared on his own."

I said, "So what?"

Instead, he smiled and said, "General Chu, I have always admired your bravery. But in order to lead a general, you need wisdom and courage. You have more courage, but not enough wisdom."

When he suddenly said this, I smiled back and said, "Yeah."

"If anyone has tamed the Serpents, those behind them will defeat us, or at most kill us all. If they're self-emerging, what purpose do they have when they defeat us?"

His words gave me a shock. "Yes," I muttered, "are they going to kill everyone?"

The Republicans may wish to destroy us, but if we surrender, we shall live. But if the Snake man wants to kill everyone, then surrender is nothing but death. And if we fall, what will the world look like when the Serpents take advantage of the victory?

I shuddered and dared not think again. This is, the road Gong street: "General Chu, I go first."

I said, "Okay, bye."

I jumped on my horse and walked west of the city, still thinking of the road's words. Fourteen days after I got well.

It was a rare cloudy day with occasional sunshine. I'm still picking up a batch of herbs from the medical camp. Ye Tai's medicine was really good. The herbs were very effective even though they were smelly, bitter and unpalatable.

When I came out of the camp with two large packages of herbs, I wanted to mount my horse, but the two packages were too big to be hung on the saddle again. Just as I was about to ask someone to help me, a troop of soldiers was coming along the road. At a glance, I saw that it was Inspector Yuan Kexiang who was leading the troop. He shouted: "General Yuan, please help me."

Yuan Kexiang turned his head and saw me. He smiled and said, "General Chu, it's you. Long time no see. Are you coming for your medicine?"

I nodded and said, "Give me a hand."

He dismounted, and I gave him the medicine, and I mounted, and he gave it to me, and I hung it on my saddle, and said, "Thank you, General Garden."

"Just lift a finger."

He jumped on the horse, suddenly to the side of several soldiers said: "brothers, the general is and forward battalion road general and called 'dragon Feng Shuang General' dragon scale army commander Chu Xiuhong, you have a look."

I smiled wryly. This reputation seems to haunt me, even Yuan Kexiang knows it. When Yuan Kexiang said this, his men gave a salute and said, "General Chu."

Their shouts were uniform, and although the soldiers looked green, their morale was high. Although the Longyan army had made great progress under Wu Wanling's rectification, it was more relaxed than Yuan Kexiang's squad. I returned a salute on the horse and said, "General Yuan, is your wheel straight today?"

"Yes," he said. It's time for the Tongcheng Battalion to change its guard. General Zhu ordered me to inform him first."

I looked at his team, not impressed: "General Yuan, how do you lead troops? Very well organized."

He said, "Soldiers are impermanent, water is impermanent, and there is no routine in warfare. Those who command soldiers should be like the arm of the hand."

I chewed on the meaning of his words and sighed, "General Yuan, what you say is very reasonable."

He smiled and said, "This is not what I said. It is a strategy I have been used to reading since childhood."

"A strategy of victory?" I remembered who had mentioned it in the military academy, but it seemed that no one had. "Who wrote this book?"

"I don't know. It was half of my family's book of war. There are seven chapters in the catalogue, but only three have reached my family. The writing is ancient, and I do not know which dynasty's generals handed it down."

I said, "There is a similar saying in the seven Commandments of the March of Heaven, which says, 'For the sake of the way of command, order and forbid. 'But your book on war goes into more detail. Is that book around? I want to see it."

Yuan Kexiang said, "I don't have the book with me at home. But I know it by heart. I'll write it to you some time."

I was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, General Yuan. What else does the book say?"

Yuan Kexiang calmly said, "There is nothing surprising about it, but some words are pertinent to the modern military. As it is said in the book: 'If a man wants a winner, he decides his plans, marches with speed, consults with secrecy, and commands with power. 'Now our army has different ranks from top to bottom. Some are based on Wu and others on what. There are many forces in the army, with orders at the top and disobedience at the bottom.

His last heave was a sorrowful sigh. Yuan Kexiang is not old, official rank is also low, in the rigid hierarchy of the Chinese army is afraid to be fed up with gas. I think of the original in the forward camp, two thousand forward, each centurion is very some of the descendants, even the road Gong line is not able to command, like Pu Anli, Xing Tiefeng and others, if I when the forward camp control, I'm afraid don't want to let them listen to my command. Yuan Kexiang said that a series of "your" word, in the final analysis is the "soldier dignifying one" and the army is not able to fully command the following, otherwise it would not have ordered Shen Xiping not to act without permission.

By this time, the fork in the road had been reached. I put my hand on the horse and said, "General Yuan, I have to go now. Would you please write out a paragraph at once and I will come to get it in the evening?"

With a slight smile on his face, he said, "General Chu, you have come to me as a commander to ask for advice from a little inspector who has never even been to a military school. Wouldn't it be funny if you spread it?"

I said: "Garden general, can be a teacher, do people say."

He winked and gave me his hand back. "Thank you, General Chu. Tonight I will write out the first chapter and present it to General Chu."

"He said, adding a whip and running toward the south door. The thirty or so soldiers under him ran smoothly, though they were all foot soldiers.

I added another lash and ran to Dragonscale camp. The court of seven days of march if the military school must read, I read more, but the court of days of the book is biased to tell about the way of attack and defense, this kind of military strategy is very brief, and at the beginning of the twelve generals in the army the most strict Luo Hao has no books handed down, if you can get Yuan Kexiang this book to supplement, when really learn from the strengths and weakness.

Halfway down the road, there was a loud noise from behind.

It was the sound of fire and thunder. There were very few fire-thunder shells left, and every army had orders not to use them in an emergency. With fire-thunder shells at the south gate, had the Serpents attacked again? I was taken aback and ran towards the camp with more whip.

As they approached the West Gate, they found peace. I rushed into the camp. Yu Dai was already waiting for me. He took down the herb, I said: "General Yu, did the snake man attack just now?"

Yu Dai shook his head and said: "No."

Has something happened to the south gate?

"Go and look at that telescope," I said.

Reaching the archery, I pointed my telescope at the south door. Looking at the past, the south gate is not different, but a lot of people, a few flags, too far apart, also can not see whose flag. I put down my binoculars and Yu Dai, who followed me up, asked a little worried: "General, what happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I hope it's all right."

At that moment, a horse came galloping up and rushed into the camp. I was surprised, way: "General Yu, go and have a look."

In came a herald, not a thunder drum. His voice was not so loud as the thunder drum. As soon as he entered the barracks, he gasped: "The rightists, take care.

I ran down the archery and said, "What's the matter?"

"Mutiny at the tail of a tiger and gallop out of town!"

As soon as he said this, he ran out again, probably to inform the rear army. I was flabbergasted and didn't want to believe my ears.

Zhu Tianwei is not a frontline general, but he is also a battalion of the central army, Wu Hou promoted up a single general. If he's a Snake-man mole like High-speed, I'm not gonna believe him. But why did his Tiger's Tail mutiny?

I was full of doubts. At this time, Yu Dai leaned forward and said, "General, what's the matter?"

I said, "Go up to the city. Send someone to the south gate and ask about it. We'll go and guard against the Serpents."

The snake man did not change. We held until dark, and then the right took over. Come down to the city, and the Dragon Scales have returned from their quest for information. Listen to him say, this afternoon, in Tongcheng camp and tiger tail camp when the change of guard, Zhu Tianwei suddenly sent the cavalry robbed a warehouse surplus grain, and robbed a sky fire flying dragon car way, to Kaesong out. Tongcheng camp did not dare to stop, was Zhu Tianwei robbed out of the city, such as the news of the order of the road Gongline forward camp rushed out, tiger tail camp more than seven thousand people have rushed out of the south gate, out of a mile after the ambush snake people wiped out, road Gongline also only had time to close the gates, did not let the snake people take advantage of the city. It was heard that Zhu Tianwei left a letter to Marquis Wu, saying that he was "as brave as a coward". All the troops under the command of Marquis Wu had no chance to win the war, and would give up themselves, so his tiger tail camp would find a way out.

The Tiger's Tail, which found its way out, fell faster than all the troops in the city. Now, I'm afraid no one like Zhu Tianwei, who thought he could fight his way out of the Snake people's siege, but Zhu Tianwei's army was defeated, which greatly weakened the Chinese army. Now the Chinese army has fewer than thirty thousand men, and even less food.

Yuan Kexiang is also caught in the tiger tail camp, not in the battle. Three days passed after Zhu Tianwei's defeat.

The loss of the Tongcheng camp made it harder to defend the other armies. Before the forward camp can often receive all the doors to help defend, but since the death of Zhu Tianwei, the Chinese army was overwhelmed, only thousands of people out to help defend the biggest loss of the north gate, the east and west two doors, again difficult to take care of.

I'm sore from a bunch of snake-man attacks. Now I feel exhausted every day, as if I don't know tomorrow after today.

Just retired into the camp, just met the thunder came from the drum. Marquis Wu summoned all the generals to the meeting. This time, only the highest officers of the army were invited, and I was authorized by Marquis Wu to attend.

As I walked towards the Central Army, I was not at all pleased to have regained the general's attention. Here and there, amid the wreckage, a dead body or two could be seen. After the people left the city, the few people left in the city sometimes died of hunger. The baggage camp had no energy left to carry and burn the dead, and there would have been a pestilence had not the number of the townsmen been less than two or three thousand.

Looking at the broken walls, my horse trod heavily.

Day by day, as if the end were in sight, a wave of despair began to pervude the whole army. The special envoy who had asked Marquis Wen for help still did not come. It was said that some people from the rear army and the right army had secretly killed a few people in the city at night to satisfy their hunger. This horrible story has not been proved, but I have seen several bodies with broken bodies, and I am afraid it is not entirely false.

Arriving at the Marquis's army tent, the herald at the door of the tent shouted feebly, "Chu Xiuhong, commander of the Dragon Scale Army, has arrived."

Those who sat in the tent were commanders and captains of the armies, and I was the lowest in rank. I looked at the army, only Zhang Longyou and Wu Keqing present. After entering, I saluted the marquis and sat down beside Lu Gongxing.

Lord Wu was much older, and there was a cup of wine in front of him. He took a sip and waited until Hu Shi 'an of the rear army arrived. Then he put down his cup and said, "Generals, please tell the Lord De Yang of the baggage battalion some bad news."

Deyang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, until today, there are only two thousand pieces of dry cake left in the army."

There was an uproar in the camp. If there were only two thousand loaves of bread, wouldn't it take forty men to get one? This is as good as indiscriminate. Chai-sheng-sang jumped up and cried, "Why did you say that today?"

Road Gong line small voice: "early to say is not early chaos army heart."

What he said was true, and only such a hotheads as Chai Shengxiang would have screamed that. The Marquis also ignored him and said, "There has been no reply from the special envoy who asked for help from the Imperial capital. Now we must prepare for the worst. In any case, we will hold on for another month. I wonder which general has the best idea?"

I looked at Lu Gongxing. He was not looking at me. He only lowered his head and thought deeply. Then Chai Shengxiang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Chai Shengxiang has something to say."

Marquis Wu looked at him and said, "General Chai, what is your plan?"

"The Republicans held the city for three months while we were trapped there," Mr Chai said. There were more people in the city then than there are now, and the Republicans could hold it for three months. How can we not?"

Someone said, "At that time, there was enough food in the city of Gaohuo to feed fifty thousand Republicans for a year, and to hold eight hundred thousand men for three months."

Chai Shengxiang snorted and said, "Food for 50,000 people is supposed to feed only 800,000 people for 20 days, but they held it until March. Then what did they eat?"

I shuddered as if I had been dipped in ice water. The general who contradicted Chai Shengxiang also seemed to be frightened and said, "General Chai, don't you think so?"

Chai Shengxiang put out his tongue and said, "Yes, although there are still one or two thousand of them left, each of them still has 50 or 60 jin of meat, or even 20 or 30 jin. If we count them as one thousand, we still have about forty thousand jin of meat. More than eighty thousand people, enough to feed for two or three days."

I had a shiver and a feeling of nausea. Chai Shengxiang put it this way, as if it were as easy to kill a pig as a sheep. I was about to object, when the officer who had just retorted said, "But what if the people finish eating?"

Sounds like he actually agreed with Chai Shengxiang cannibalism.

Shiba Katsu Aido: "There are a thousand or two thousand craftsmen locked up now."

I was so angry that I suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, General Chai is talking nonsense. Please give an order to kill this wrongdoer."

What I said must have come as a surprise. I heard someone whispering, "Who is he?" And someone small voice: "He is one of the dragon front double Chu Xiu red."

At this time I was desperate and shouted: "Your majesty, the king of our army, even if defeated, will die upright. If you kill the townspeople and artisans and eat flesh to survive, where will future generations say you will put your army?"

Chai Shengxiang sneered, "General Chu, you are so generous. If you starve to death and are eaten by a snake man, is it true that you stand up to the heavens?"

"I am a man, not a beast," I cried. "If I wanted to live by eating men, I would rather kill myself out of the city on the spot, or die by the serpents' swords and spears, with no shame on my heart."

Chai Shengxiang said, "Since General Chu is against my proposal, I wonder what is his plan?"

I said, "There are still many horses in the army, but they are not needed in defending the city. You can kill them. A horse takes much more meat than a man."

Chai Shengxiang said: "General Chu really came up with a good idea! Now that the sick and weak horses of each army have been killed, where can the remaining horses be called "still many"? But if you kill the horses, the cavalry will have no use for their commanders, and the fighting power of the army will be greatly damaged. And when all the troops are in urgent need of conscription, do you let all the troops walk there?"

"That's better than eating people to survive," I said.

When Chai Sheng-sang was about to say something, the Lord called out, "Be presumptuous! Make a loud noise in the tent. Don't the generals know the orders?"

I lowered my head, and Chai Shengxiang said to me at the same time, "I will never know my sin."

As I sat down, I gave Chai a dirty look, and Chai gave me a dirty look. I looked at Lu Gongxing. He still hung his head and said nothing.

At this time, Lu Jing Yu suddenly stood up and said, "You marquis, there will be a message at the end."

Marquis Wu looked at him and said, "After fishing, what do you say?"

Lu Jing Yu road: "The Chu general is right, conduct oneself, should seek a dignified, worthy of the heart."

I felt relieved that I was still treading on the right ground. Lu Jing Yu still support me, otherwise I really want to think that they are in the ghost domain, at a loss. Just as he was relieved, he heard Lu Jing Yu say again, "However, as the old saying goes, if things are slow, they should be constant, and if things are urgent, they should follow the authority. Now the army has run out of food and supplies, the top priority is to survive, then can only follow the authority."

What does he mean by that? I have a bad feeling about this.

"But craftsmen are really useful people. Most of the generals and commanders took captive women and put them in their accounts, even thousands of them. Such a man is useless. Let us take his life first, so that we can feed our army and relieve the burning eyebrows."

Lu Jingyu is still talking. Then I heard that he was going to kill the woman first.

He agreed with Chai!

I just felt like a coke mine on top of my head. Is this the land of fishing? Is it because of compassion, even the Cang Yue Gong also let go of the land by fishing? He talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked, but I could not hear a word of it. I looked around helplessly, hoping for someone to support me, but almost everyone was nodding their heads in agreement with Lu Jingyu's words.

I stood up and shouted, "Lu Jing and Yu, craftsmen are human beings, women are human beings, and you are generally human beings. You kill and eat your own kind. How are you different from animals?"

Lu Jingyu smiled and said, "General Chu, this is a matter of urgency. When I killed those women, I hoped you would not inflict pain on them."

When I was about to shout, the Lord gave a snort and said, "Since we cannot agree, we will vote. Fetch some wine, Eaglet, and take out the chest."

One of the guards at his side brought out two boxes of wine and a wooden box, which was placed in the middle of the room. When the wine was divided, Marquis Wu snorted and said, "This wine has two colors: red and black. Each of you should take two and put them into the box according to your rank. If you agree to kill the woman, vote for the red chip; if you agree to kill the horse, vote for the black chip. Each person can only throw one piece, do you have any difference?"

"Yes," we said.

Marquis Wu said, "It is good to understand." He took a bottle of wine in each hand and suddenly glanced at me and Chai Shengxiang. He stood up and walked to the center and threw the red chips into the wooden box.

I felt dizzy and didn't know what to do. Marquis Wu is using his own actions to support the discussion of Chai Sheng, do I have to stand up to it?

As I sat there, Lu Gongxing pushed me and said, "General Chu, it's your turn."

I stared blankly at the wooden box. Although I could not see the contents of the wine, and the generals stuffed it with a shield, I did not know what color it was, but I knew that it must be mostly red chips. I stood up and threw the black chip in my right hand.

I was the last one. After I put in, Wu Hou said: "Little eagle, open the box."

Eaglet opened the box and counted the bottles. As soon as I opened the box, I saw that a patch of red inside was spilled on the floor like blood. My eyes blurred into a blur, as I sat, I felt my body shaking, not knowing what to say.

At this time, the little eagle said: "Please your majesty, there are seventeen generals voting in the tent, a total of seventeen wine. Fifteen were red and two were black."

I have one more person on my side! I looked around at the people. Maybe that's the way to go, right? But we just object to it pointlessly.

I could not hear what the Lord was saying. I wanted to shout loudly and scold everyone in the tent, but my body was too soft to say a word. Just like a marionette, I stood among the generals, offered my greetings to the Marquis, and then dispersed.