Chapter 9 Arise suddenly

The fire shot up into the sky, and far away, I could only see dots of fire shooting up, mixed with a sound. Once a fire burst into the sky, and there was a cheer from the people around. But the Lord's brow tightened. Suddenly, he shouted: "Rebuff! Did you come back?"

What's wrong with that? I turned to look at the firelight, and suddenly a strange panic filled my heart.

I myself have thrown powder packets, which I do not know how much, but which are about half a kilo, and the fire never went so high. But it looked as if the powder had not exploded on the ground, but had been ignited in the air.

I shuddered at the thought. Is it possible that any of the dead scholars were so anxious that they lit gunpowder in the air? But even if it went off, it wouldn't get that big.

I was so anxious that I could not wait to see what was going on. Immediately, I thought of the telescope that Xue Wen also made.

Though it could not be seen clearly, it could be seen in some way. But by this time the fire was spinning and falling, and there was nothing to be seen now.

At that moment, there was a great noise in the city, and as soon as the gate was opened, a horse seemed to rush into the city, and a man rushed to the top of the city.

That's a terrible thing to do.

He rushed past me without even noticing me, and as soon as he reached the top of the city, he fell to his knees and said, "My Lord, something is not right!"

He was out of breath, too. It had been a long journey, but the rush had made him very tired.

The marquis said, "What happened?"

"The Reebok battalion has been destroyed, my Lord!" he shouted.

What? I was shocked to the side, too. The Reebok battalion had a total of five thousand men, of which there were still more than three thousand after the reduction. The Reebok battalion had been destroyed, as it had been called, was one thousand. Wu Hou's face did not change, said: "Go in." He waved his hand, and the eagle and the young eagle protected him and entered the tent, and the eagle followed him.

She was brought down by one of the generals of the baggage camp. The general, who also knew me, greeted me as he passed by. I saluted him back, but only watched her.

Her yellow dress was blown in the night breeze. On a spring night, the wind is still cold, watching her embrace pipa, floating away, her face is still blank, my heart can not help but a little pain.

Down the city, is catching up with the south gate some sharp barracks remnants back. They had set out at one thousand and fifty, but only a hundred had returned, and the whole army had indeed been destroyed.

The attack was to have gone unnoticed. At first, the forward battalion asked for the action, but the Lord General said that the forward battalion was mostly cavalry and the noise was too loud, so a thousand sharp battalions were sent out. The Reebok battalion is an elite infantry battalion, less aggressive than the Forward battalion, but more defensive. The Reebok were much more disciplined than the Strikers, who thought they were superior, and they were better suited to this fire attack.

The death of a thousand men did no harm to the fighting strength of the whole army. However, this plan, which was supposed to be a sure victory, was of no avail. Instead, it allowed the Serpents to follow suit, which greatly affected the heart of the army. "Asked some of the soldiers at the gate, who, in defiance of the injunction, gathered round the remnant army.

The operation was so secret that the soldiers at the gate did not know until they set out that a party was coming. This kind of attack was also unheard of, and they thought they would win. They did not expect the outcome to be so, and they began to ask questions. I walked over to the crowd and listened.

The Reebok battalion was led by Guan Hong, one of the battalion's officers. He led the whole army to the edge of the forest, and at first everything was as usual. As soon as the kite was in the air, a great number of snake men suddenly emerged from the forest. At this time, the kite in the air has not yet arrived at the head of the snake camp, if Guan Hong immediately retreated, nothing more than the fifty soldiers abandoned it, the whole army can still safely return. But Guan Hong does not retreat, still want to hold up until the kite threw gunpowder, the success of the first World war, is dead without regret. This strategy worked well at first, as the Serpentine, despite their superior numbers, were never able to defeat the Reebok defense. Just as the kite reached the Serpentine group, it suddenly flew from the Serpentine camp a large number of birds with fire on their bodies. The fifty kites burst into flames in the air, and the morale of the Reebok battalion collapsed. None of the fifty kites returned, and the thousand men of the Reebok Battalion were slaughtered.

In the stories of the remaining soldiers in shock, there is also fear. Guan Hong's brave demeanor that would rather die than surrender failed to infect them. In their hearts, only fear of snake people remained.

The more I listen, the more I feel cold. The marquis wanted to retire after winning the battle, but it backfired. What would happen in the future?

I looked up at the sky. It was almost dawn, and there was still a crowd of soldiers at the gate. At that moment, a general riding a horse came up and said, "Say what! Get in position, awol, behead!"

Indeed, a pile like this would only destabilize the army. Now many middle - level soldiers are also crowded in the crowd, it seems that they did not think of the whole bundle of military discipline. The man is resolute and has the air of a general. The defenders of the city returned to their positions, and the Reebok battalion, which had fallen back, made its way to their tents. I was about to leave when the general came up to me and said, "Well, what battalion are you in and why don't you leave?"

I looked at him. Look at this man's uniform. He's an inspector in the Central Army. Before I could answer, he got off his horse and saluted me. "General Chu," he said, "I have seen Yuan Kexiang before. I will be impolite."

"You're right," I said. "I'll be right back."

Yuan Kexiang said: "General Chu, you ride my horse to go, after a while I will come to Chu to take the horse in the camp."

My arm is throbbing with pain. I was in too much of a hurry to ride when I got here. My old mount had been killed in the first battle between the Dragonscale and the Serpents, and my present one had been kept in the Dragonscale stable. I had never ridden it. I am also not welcome, salute him, said: "Please."

The yuan Kexiang saluted me, then turned his head and looked around. I dismounted and walked to the Dragonscale camp. On the horse, soldiers were whispering all the way.

The battle was a complete failure. The defeat of the battle shattered the plan to return to the army with full victory. I wonder whether Marquis Wu would swallow the bitter fruit and return to the army with shame. In fact, overall, leaving now is still the best policy.

But how could the battle have been lost? The tactic of attacking enemy camps with gunpowder was the first of its kind in the history of imperial warfare, and would never have occurred to the Snake Man's mind. The only way it works is if we have a mole in our army.

I thought of the shadow almost immediately. I saw that shadow right before Camp Reebok left. Is that a mole? I shuddered. The mole wouldn't be a snake man, but if it was a person, who would it be? Once upon a time, I would have immediately concluded that they were remnants of the Republican Army. But in retrospect, it is too much to say that the remnants of the Republican Army are suspicious. If he was lurking among the Imperial forces, why didn't he show up during the siege and wait until the Republicans had been wiped out?

I was thinking at once, when I heard someone shout: 'Governor! Commander of Chu!"

I looked up, and there was Kim Qianxi in front, leading my horse. I jumped off my horse and said, "General King, yes."

Jin Qianshi to the side of the horse, to help me pull the horse, I said: "That is a Chinese army general Yuan Kexiang's mount, wait for a moment he will come to retrieve. General Kim, what's up?"

Gold Qianshi way: "Just thunder drum came to inform, Jun Hou ordered you to the army, discuss military situation."

I was a little puzzled for a moment, but I realized that I was now the commander of the Dragon Scale Army, equal to Lu Gongxing and entitled to attend the military aircraft meeting. I jumped on my horse and said, "I'll be right there."

Just as the horse was about to leave, he turned around and said, "General Jin, please tell the white myrtle Polygonum in my account that I will not have breakfast. Let them eat it up."

I gave a whip. He only has one hand on the horse, but he can handle it. On the horse, thinking about Kim's final expression, I suddenly felt a little funny. Let gold Qianshi to his two past concubines kindly say what breakfast, it is a little difficult for him.

Arriving at the Marquis Army tent, there are already some troops in the tent to welcome. When I entered, a general officer shouted, "Chu Xiuhong, commander of the Dragon Scale Army, has arrived."

It was the first time I had attended such a meeting, and a bensman ushered me to my place. There were already a dozen officers of various armies in the tent. In the front row were Weiyuanbo Mo Zhenwu, commander of the Central army, and Luo Jingwei, commander of the rear army. Next to them was the deputy commander of the left army, Bu Wu, and the acting commander of the right army, Luan Peng. They were supposed to sit behind Lu Jingyu of the left army and Shen Xiping of the right army, but neither of the two famous generals was present, so one of them was chosen instead. In the rear, there were more than twenty seats for the middle commanders of the left, middle, right and last ranks. There had been a dozen Chinese generals who were qualified to attend the military aircraft conference, but now half a dozen had been killed in battle, and those five or six seats were empty. My seat was in the right army row, right next to the middle Army, and beside it was Lu Gongxing. As he sat down, he gave me a nod and did not speak. I saluted and sat down. The Lord General's seat is still vacant. He will not come out until we are all here.

After waiting for a while, all those who should be present have arrived. All the military opportunities must be in a stick of incense to the banquet, otherwise they will be punished. I have a secret called lucky. If Yuan Kexiang hadn't lent me that horse, I was afraid I would have wasted it.

When they were all together, several bodyguards came down the curtain of the tent, and the clerk said, "Your excellency, please get up." We stood up and saluted to Marquis Wu, who waved his hand and sat down.

After they were seated, Marquis Wu said, "All the generals probably know that our army was completely defeated in the night attack. One thousand and fifty of our brothers fled to one hundred and two, and the rest died in the battle."

No one spoke. The story spread quickly, and most of the army knew it, except those who were not well informed. Lord Wu took his cup and said, "This plan was originally offered by Lao Guoji, the centurion of the 13th vanguard Battalion. I agree. I am to blame for the failure."

He put the wine cup to drink a meal, said: "Now the three armies have no war, the rank of the general think how to advance and retreat?"

The marquis is going to have a class.

I immediately thought of that. Two days before, Lu Gongxing had proposed a class, but he probably met with a snub. At this time, the Marquis finally accepted his suggestion. Indeed, according to the current situation, it is the class for the teacher. However, the situation in southern Xinjiang is still unstable. At this point, with the Serpent still outside the city, I was afraid that the war against the Republicans would be wasted. But there's no other way. It's better to get out early than to be wiped out here.

At this time, Mo Zhenwu stood up and said: "Report Jun Hou, job thought, counterinsurgency campaign has been full of merit, but the snake man scabies small disease, no foot. The most urgent thing is to return to court for a rest."

That's what a lot of people think. After all, the conquest of the city of Vulture was like a fist punch, and it took all the power of the body to make a second thunderbolt. Mo Zhenwu is the commander of the army, his words, in fact, is also the meaning of the marquis, but the marquis himself is not very good to open to say withdrawal, can only borrow Mo Zhenwu's mouth to say.

Deyang also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, what General Mo said is very true. It has been nearly a year since the three armies went to war. Now it is the beginning of spring, food and grass is difficult to sustain, if there is no supplement, the rations of the three armies can only support about a month. Humble also agree with General Mo's words, not as good as the first class."

Mo Zhenwu can be said to represent the meaning of the marquis, and Deyang is the meaning of logistics. Between those two, it's pretty much everything. From the inside out, it is a retreat, I think so.

When they sat down, one of the generals of the right army stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Serpents are still outside the city. If we do not destroy them, what shall we do?"

I whispered to the roadside, "General Road, who is this man?"

Although I was a member of the Right army, I had yet to meet any of its generals. I am only the commander of the Dragon Scale Army. Yesterday I went to the right camp to recover from my wounds, but I am not as familiar as Lu Gong Xing.

Road Gong street: "He is the right army Wanfu long Chai Sheng phase."

Is he Chai Katsuisang? I nodded to myself. Shen Xiping's right army has two wanfu long, one is Luan Peng, the other is Chai Shengxiang. These two people are accustomed to the charge of the brave general, Luan Peng more heavy, official post than Chai Shengxiang half level. Chai Shengxiang, relying on his prowess, always blindly rush to kill, not a big victory is a big defeat, at the beginning of our troops, once his ten thousand people to kill the fleeing Republican army, even two days did not return, Shen Xiping in front of the marquis is not good to confess. But on that occasion he had returned victorious. He had killed fifty or sixty thousand Republican soldiers who had fled, and every one of them had two or three heads. The military merit is determined by the cut level, he this ten thousand team cut too much, and most of them are just civilians, it is impossible to determine, if all recorded up, his ten thousand team will be promoted to a higher level, make the De Yang complained. Fortunately, that he because of the mistake will make a confession, did not let de Yang embarrassed. Some frivolous jokes in the army are that the true rank of the military is the highest since the marquis, but verbally it is the highest. Marquis Wu was respected as "Marquis of the emperor" but Chaishengxiang was "king" -- "King of killing".

The killer was not a very good judge, but he had a point. However, his words also a little ignorant of the situation, the Marquis does not know the reason of raising tigers, but also depends on the strength. Now we are cornered by the Serpents in the city. Where is the power to destroy the Serpents? The Marquis of Wu was also afraid that he might make trouble after being transferred to the central army, so the two thousand men sent to the garrison a few days ago belonged to Luan Peng's army.

Marquis Wu did not look down upon the words of the king of killing life. He said, "General Chai's words also have a meaning. But now the three armies have no power left to fight, as if helpless."

Lord Wu's words were also very calm, but to us, they were like thunder. Lord Wu's words were a clear statement that the Imperial Army is no match for the Serpents. Although we all felt vaguely that we were at a disadvantage if we continued to fight like this, the general's open admission was quite surprising.

Chai Shengxiang said, "You have destroyed your own prestige. Victory phase is not talented, wish to unify the ten thousand team, for the king Hou swept away evil spirits."

When he stopped speaking, Lu Gongxing said in a low voice, "He is shameless." There was a faint buzz from the surrounding generals, probably of the same meaning. Indeed, Shen Xiping, one of the two leading generals of the Right Army, the Fire tiger, also died in the battle of the Snake Army. It is really a boast to say these words in the name of Chai Shengxiang, who is only easy to kill. To say that only ten thousand men could defeat the Serpents was almost to make fun of the Lord who guarded the South Gate with fifty thousand men.

Marquis Wu did not say anything, but said, "General Chai is a pillar of the army. Who will fight alongside General Chai?"

Can the Lord also say such sarcasm? I laughed to myself. No one in the central army would ever go out with Chai Shengxiang to fight the enemy. The left army was now led by Bu Wu, who was more serious than Lu Jingyu, let alone Chai Shengxiang. However, Luo Jingwei and Shen Xiping had not been on good terms. Luo Jingwei thought he had done a lot of good, but he did not even have a title. The rear army under his command was also the worst fighting force, and he would never join hands with Chai Shengxiang. At this point, I was a little panicked. If Luan Peng brain a heat, said to use the right army of two thousand people team to meet the enemy, not even I just arrived at the right army new out of the command also took in?

Then Luan Peng stood up and said, "You will have something to say at the end."

Marquis Wu said, "Go ahead."

At this time, I desperately begged the gods of heaven not to let Luan Peng say what "would like to advance and retreat together with General Chai" and so on. Although I do not think that we cannot defeat the Snake Man, if this fight goes on, at least half of our armies, large and small, will die on the battlefield. As much as I want to make a note of my military achievements, I don't want to add the word "possum" to my official rank.

Luan Peng road: "Jun Hou, General Chai courage commendable, but for the way, when wisdom and courage, can be victorious."

His first words made me look at him in a new light. Did not expect, in the battle of the right army is brave, there are such figures, it seems that Shen Xiping himself although also count foolhardy, but also count the wise.

Luan Peng said, "Now that we are locked in a situation with the snake Man, it seems impossible to break through. It is unwise to act foolhardy. I think that General Mo's and Lord De's advice is the best policy."

And he agreed to leave! I was relieved. Even though I was behind him and could only see his back, I felt that his back had grown.

Now the three generals in the four armies all advocate withdrawal. Even if Luo Jingwei does not agree, it is useless. Marquis Wu said, "What does General Luo think?"

Luo Jingwei stood up, bowed down and said, "Jingwei agrees that it is the best policy to retire at the right time. The Republican army is gone. The Serpent is gone. Even if the Snake people are rampant, it is not too late to send troops to the south."

Marquis Wu said: "In this case, then settle down, after going back to prepare the class division today, the Chinese army is ready to break."

At this moment, Chai Shengxiang suddenly cried out: "Your Majesty! General Lu of the Left Army is not ready to be sent to the army for ten days."

When he said this, almost half the crowd scowled. Lu Jing Yu must have been tired of the army, and I am afraid he had gone to seclusion somewhere with his relatives. The Marquis Wu had promised him to make up for his SINS, but it was no more than a gag. Although Lu Jing Yu left less than ten days ago, but he certainly can not find the moon in ten days, where will come back? Only a fool like Chai would shout it out. I also secretly scold: "stupid, so want to die, let you break, be killed by the snake."

Lord Wu said, "As General Chai has said, tomorrow is the tenth day. General Luo's rear army will leave the city today through the north gate and then the baggage-camp. The left and right armies will be in order. If the land by fishing tomorrow does not return to the team, it is the death penalty, do not have to deal with him. When the generals retire, they must do so in an orderly manner and not in disorder. The central army and the right army must be on high alert to prevent the snake man from attacking them." I just laughed. In fact, this is equal to not say, the surface seems to listen to the words of Chai Shengxiang, in fact, is still today will begin to retreat. Of the 100,000 troops, there are now more than 90,000 left, and with thousands of craftsmen and women, as well as the women captured by the soldiers themselves, the total is about 120,000. It will take at least a day to get out of the city. But Lord Wu said it in a very roundabout way, as if he were waiting for the land to catch fish before putting it off until tomorrow. He had decided that the right would go last to last, and that meant that the right would die too.

Lu Gongxing suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, there are still more than fifty thousand people in the city. What should they do?"

"What to do? Kill it. Your majesty will ask you to kill them all in half a day. If you keep them, you will waste your food and supplies, and you will have to worry about them making trouble."

My heart moves, but I don't know what to say. It would have been cleanest to kill them, for the sole purpose of preparing for war, not only to extinguish the Republican embers, but also to save us from eating half our rations a day. But if I were to speak of murder as freely as Chai Shengxiang, I could not. After all, that's 50,000 lives.

The marquis thought for a moment, sighed, and said: "Killing more is useless. From this day forward, the east gate will be open two hours a day. Let them escape. The meeting is over."

We stood up in unison and saluted to the marquis. No one said anything. Although they were tired of the war, they were still very uneasy about losing. Besides, there is still the Serpent outside the south gate. What if the Serpent suddenly attacks us while we are withdrawing?

Out of the tent, I bid farewell to Lu Gongxing, and I jumped on my horse to return to the west of the city. As he mounted his horse, someone said, "Is that General Chu, the new commander of the Dragon Scale Army? Please come along."

I turned my head and looked. It was Luan Peng, acting general of the right army. He rode alongside Chai, accompanied by some saguaro soldiers. I came too soon, and the escorts didn't match me well. I came alone, and compared with them, I was really shabby. I clapped my horse, approached them, and saluted: "General Luan, General Chai, the last general Chu Xiuhong has seen the two lords."

Although the identity of the Dragon Scale Army is a little special, this is Shen Xiping's soldiers, but they are after all the two top commanders of the right army, I dare not lose respect.

Chai Shengxiang looked at me from the side and said, "It is also said that Chu Xiu, the Red Champion of the Vanguard battalion, was a red man in front of the marquis. He was only such a young man."

Before, I would have thought he was being sarcastic. But at this time I do not think he has any malicious, even in front of the general he will not know the time to talk nonsense, I such subordinate he naturally will not be polite. I said: "Tell General Chai, the last general is only a little lucky."

Luan Peng just smiled and said, "Once is good luck, but twice or three times is not necessarily so. General Chu is handsome, but he is extraordinary."

I can't say enough about his praise. When he was about to say something humble, Chai Shengxiang suddenly said, "Brother Peng, why don't you help me? You also have a little mother-in-law, those captives, kill is, also let them do what. Cutting grass without removing roots is a difficult thing to do in the future. Damn Luo Jingwei, he was the last army, rushed in the last, fled in the first, must have been a rat changed."

Luan Peng just smiled. The rear army was poor in combat effectiveness, but Luo Jingwei was not weak. Every time the whole army charged, the rear army could always follow, thanks to Luo Jingwei's leading ability. In Chaisengsang's opinion, the rear army, which was mainly responsible for cleaning the battlefield and protecting the baggage camp, was really an army without sufficient means.

Luan Peng looked at me and said with a smile: "You have your adult in the chest, we this batch of subordinates since the inconvenience of more beak."

Listening to him, it seemed, was because I was on the sidelines and couldn't grumble. Chai Shengxiang was desperate, said: "Brother Peng, when Lord Shen was alive, we sword brothers charged into battle, and built many contributions under his banner. Now that he's dead, why are you so careful? Not like you."

Luan Pengdao said, "In order to enforce the law, I ordered it to be forbidden. Your majesty has ordered, and we below obey the order."

I can't help but laugh, too. This Chai-sheng is really stupid. Luan Peng seems to be very sophisticated, and he always tells me to obey orders. Maybe they don't want to leave.

Returning to my camp, I took leave of the two commanders of the right, and returned to my own camp. Jin Qianshi was waiting outside the tent. As soon as he saw me, he said, "Governor, you have come back. What will your highness do?"

I jumped off the horse, said: "You marquis ordered, after the class, you also go to prepare it."

Kim said, "Class teacher? What about the snake people outside the city?"

"Of course," I said, "never mind them. At that time, I'm afraid your majesty will cut us off too. Go and tell your brothers to get ready."

Jin Qianshi brightened up and said, "Good. You can't eat anything except women in this damn place. You've got a bag full of money for nothing."

I laughed bitterly. Gaohucheng used to be an important town in southern Xinjiang, known as "the most prosperous city in the south of Heaven". It's not because of us that we're here? There was no need to defend such a ruined city. The remaining fifty thousand city people, the Lord Wu also let them live.

"The official order will come soon," I said. "Tell the boys to get ready early."

When Marquis Wu returned to the emperor's capital, he could not sleep or eat well. But at least a hundred thousand men, ninety thousand of them returned safely, with nothing to blame but his reputation.

Back in the tent, white myrtle and purple polygonum were waiting. "Here, help me put on my armor," I said.

When you retreat, you don't know what's going to happen, and you wear your armor in case the Serpents attack you. With my left arm in a sling, it was too inconvenient to put on a suit by myself, and I was helpless without their help.

When they helped me put on my warlike armor, I said to them, "It's time for the class. Would you like to go back to Di Du with me?"

They looked at me with startled eyes, wondering what I meant. Indeed, they are my concubines, and if I do not take them, shall I kill them where they are? Quite a few Imperial soldiers simply killed captured women.

"I mean," I said, "do you have any relatives here you can go to?"

They looked at each other for a moment, and Bai Wei mumbled, "We have another uncle in the Wuyang City."

Wuyang City is also a famous city in southern Xinjiang, but it is 300 li away from here. There are many merchants in the city, known as "Wuyang ten thousand merchants". Because and the far region of those merchants much, the people good interest, nothing else, Kyoto people talking about the south of the greedy ungrateful villain, always take Wuyang City as an example. The emperor allowed them to govern themselves and pay annual taxes. This time Cangyue Gong rebelled, but Wuyang City remained neutral and did not join the rebellion. The Lord Wu had sent his troops through there, and the Lord of Wuyang had replenished our baggage. It was the return of the Empire. The whole city was not affected except for a few more victims, and the security was a little bad. But our class did not pass through the Wuyang City, and we really could not think of any good way to send them there.

I sighed and said, "No relatives nearby?"

As soon as I said it, I knew I was making no sense. The city was in ruins, and the villages around it had been wiped out. There were no people around for hundreds of miles, and even if they had any relatives, they could not find them.

Bai Wei suddenly said: "General, you really want to let us go?"

I said: "How not true. Are you afraid I'll lie to you?"

The purple polygonum suddenly shed tears in her eyes and cried, "General, you." When I saw her lovely appearance, my heart ached, but my face smiled and said, "Why are you crying? Do you still want to leave me? I am your enemy. Perhaps I have killed your friends and relatives in this town. Don't you hate me?"

Bai Wei sighed, way: "That can't blame you."

I was dumbstruck for a moment, sighed, and said: "You too tidy up. The first chance I get, I'll send you to the Wuyang City."

Bai Wei way: "General, you really want to let us go, just give us a car, we go."

I looked at her. Her face was no longer meek, but her eyes were bright. I was a little disappointed. She seemed eager to leave me. Although I wanted them to go, I never felt comfortable with her being so happy and impatient.

"Can you drive?" I asked.

"Sister can ride a horse," said the purple polygonum.

I smiled a wry smile, said: "OK, I will arrange for you a horse and cart, you prepare a little food, put on men's clothes, immediately go." There are many wagons and wagons in the camp. I took them to the central Army and left them waiting at the gate of the baggage camp. De Yang happened to be at the point of the prisoners. I jumped off my horse and went to him.

Those are captured craftsmen. Every time the city was destroyed, craftsmen and young women were brought back to the imperial capital without being killed. Three or four thousand workmen were captured this time, more than the soldiers of the baggage camp. De Yang was taking a roll of the rolls and separating the craftsmen by trade. There were hundreds of winemakers among them, and back in the imperial capital, there were enough to open several large wine shops. The rest of Luo Jingwei's army has been withdrawing. It took a few hours for every ten thousand men to withdraw, and it was getting dark when the last army had withdrawn, followed by the German baggage camp. The baggages are not the same as the rear army, which, despite its poor fighting power, is always a fighting force and always moves quickly, but the baggages are full of miscellaneous things. Some of the captured women have to be abandoned, but the craftsmen, if they are not ill, are all taken back to Kyoto. A few thousand craftsmen and a thousand or two thousand women would keep him busy. The Marquis called to wait for the land by a day of fishing, it will also take a day to withdraw the time.

Seeing that he was very busy, he cried, "Busy, Lord De." He turned around, saw me, smiled: "General Chu, you have come. The baggage-camp will be on the move in two hours, and the baggage-camp, as you know, is not as easy to move as General Rowe's rear army. Why don't you go and get ready?"

"Just getting ready," I said, "to ask you for a car. It doesn't need to be too big for two."

De Yang said, "Easy." He called to one of the soldiers of the baggage battalion and said, "Xiao Zhu, find a vehicle for General Chu."

I still remember the little Zhu who lived with Zhang Longyou. He went and led a horse out with a cart behind him and said, "General Chu, is that all right?"

This car is not big. It was originally for loading, but there is more than enough room for two people. "All right," I said. Is it convenient, my Lord?"

Deyang handed the list to a soldier nearby and said, "Most of the grain has been used up. Even the grain collected from the Wuyang City has been used up. Does General Chu have that much stuff?"

I can not say to send the white Wei purple Polygonum to the Five Sheep City, but a vague promise. I took leave of him, took my horse, and drove out.

It was still dark, and the baggage camp was in chaos. I looked at them from east to west and said, "OK, you go now. Have you got the dry food ready?"

Dry food, of course, is still that kind of dry bread, eat is not delicious, always can satisfy hunger. It would take them more than a day to get to the five-goat, if they were driven by a fast horse. It would take them only two or three days. Bai Wei said, "It's ready."

She took a small bag. I took it and looked at it. There were only three cakes in it. I took a piece from the haversack beside me and put it in. "More," I said. It's not good, but we have to eat it. Come on."

Out the door, I jumped on my horse and walked east of the city. White Wei drove the horse, but is very skilled, must have ridden a lot of horses in the past. Along the way the carriage rattled through the wreckage. Behind them, in the Chinese camp, there was still a noise.

All of a sudden, the purple polygonum sitting at the back gave a cry. I was surprised, too, wondering what she had seen. But her face was pale, and she was pointing to one side in a heap of broken tiles. I took my horse there, but I saw a dead woman lying on her back in the tile, with knife marks on her body. By the looks of it, he's fresh, too. It seems that someone who did not like the captive woman, not good to carry and inconvenient, brought her here and killed her.

I looked at the dead woman. Her eyes were still open, and there was fear in them, as though they were still afraid after death. I sighed, reached out and closed her eyes.

There was nothing else that could be done for her.

I brought the horse back and said, "Come on."

The purple polygonum could not speak, but the white Wei still drove calmly. The two sisters, perhaps only a little older than the purple vine, were quite different in character. Gold Qianshi gave them to me, may also not like white Wei so strong character, to kill her but not too willing, so simply do personal feelings to me.

The car is not slow, after a trip, then to the east gate. The East gate is now under the leadership of Buwu, but the unified army of the Land, Economy and Fisheries Institute is much better than the other army. Although it was a bit chaotic, not as noisy as the Chinese army, there were still people standing guard at the gate. As soon as I reached the gate, a large number of the captured citizens were already crowding out of the city, each being examined, with only a few possessions and provisions allowed. I was just hearing a soldier say, "Stop! Who is it?"

I took the horse and said, "Chu Xiuhong, commander of the Dragon Scale Army, is He in?"

The soldier said, "General Chu? Take out the waist card."

I smiled wryly. The soldier was very rude. Maybe I had led the men to arrest Lu Jing Yu, which made them hate me. I jumped off the horse, felt out the waist card, said: "Please see."

This one was new, the old one had been turned in, and the new one was made in a hurry. The soldier looked at it, but could see nothing. "Who are they?" he said, glancing at the white myrtle.

"My concubine," I said. Take her to her uncle's. '

The soldier said, "Wait while I go and ask Lord Ho."

He went in. The other soldier remained upright, his face expressionless. Inside, sometimes someone was arguing, perhaps also uneven. Even if the land by the army, slaughter city also kill for money, at most have some discipline.

After a while, someone said, "It's General Chu. Please come in."

I saluted and said, "General He, I would like to send my concubine to Wuyang City. Please let General He take care of me."

He Zhong looked at the white violet polygonum on the car and said, "Are they all women? Is it easy?"

I was startled and looked at them unconsciously. Even though they were dressed in men's clothes, they could tell at a glance that they were women. There are now fifty thousand people out of the city, who are also good people. They dare not do anything wrong in the city, and God knows what they will do if they leave the city. They rode in carriages, afraid they would be robbed if they left the town. I wouldn't have thought of this if I hadn't been reminded.

Bai Wei said: "General, please don't worry about us, life has a life, life and death in the day."

Her face was as calm as ever. He Zhong was taken aback and said, "Aren't you afraid?"

Bai Wei said: "Of course, but there is always some hope."

He Zhong nodded and said, "OK. I'll have you escorted out first. And so on."

As if remembering something, he went to a nearby tent. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I waited patiently. After a while, he came out with a small bag and said, "Ladies, if you can reach the Five Sheep City, will you please give this to the Lord of the city for me?"

He is still in contact with the Lord of Wuyang City? But at this time I also do not want to think, white Wei way: "Good, must be done for the general."

He smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you can't get there." He opened the bag and found a piece of jade and two waist knives inside. He said, "Here are the two waist swords for your defense. Please give this piece of jade to the Lord of the city."

White Wei took over, I to where a single hand line a salute, way: "Thank you."

And when he had sent them out, behold, the city was already full of the fleeing people. Most of them were in rags, and now and then some of them cried dryly, perhaps because they had been afraid all day, and were so happy to see their lives at last. Looking at them, I had mixed feelings. Few of them would have escaped if it had not been for the Snake Man, and in that case they should have thanked him.

Outside the east gate, beyond the Moat, was a road that led directly to the city of Wuyang. The road was a little bumpy because of disrepair, and the wagons were bumping along it. The purple vine was a little distressed, but the white vine remained indifferent.

Walk a distance, the victims on the road has been less, just a few scattered. Slow as the carriage was, it was faster than the starving victims. I took the horse and said, "I've got to get back. Take care."

I had only been with them for a little more than a day, and there shouldn't have been any parting feelings. I turn the horse head, suddenly heard Bai Wei way: "General! Wait!"

I took hold of the horse, and she jumped down and ran straight to me. I jumped off my horse and said, "What else?"

She ran up to me and suddenly took my head and kissed it on my lips, blushing, but ran back again and said nothing. As soon as she got on, she galloped off, making the carriage rattle and shaking the purple polygonum in it.

I put my finger to my lips. There was still a lingering smell of her fat on my lips, and her soft lips, though they had only been moved very quickly, seemed to leave a mark on mine. The coach, too, went faster and faster until at last a corner was turned and hidden from view by a grove of trees.

Come on.

I said in silence. They did not know what dangers they would encounter on that road. They only hoped that they would reach the city of Wuyang safely.

Back in the city, the east gate was still crowded with many people. It would take some time for fifty thousand people to get out of the city, even if they were to rush out, let alone go one by one. I took my horse and went from the east gate to the west gate.

At the beginning, there were hundreds of thousands of homes in the city, and there were winding alleys everywhere. It took a long time to get from the east gate to the west gate. Now they are all rubble.

In the center of the city is the National Square, and on the edge is the camp of the Chinese army. The center of the square was paved with large square bluestones, each of which was six feet square. Logically, similar squares in other cities were called Imperial Squares. After the first generation of Cangyue Gong built the city, he named it National Squares, which also heralded the later rebellion. This square is known as the first in the south of the sky. Each big stone slab is half a foot thick, and it is polished so that it can distinguish people. Even the Imperial capital is not so good. Now the great stones were patchy, some of them cracked, and I do not know how many dead bodies had been burned here over the last few days. I admire the Chinese army, they can still stay down with the burning smell.

The itch on his shoulder was almost unbearable. Ye Tai said that when the wound heals, there will be an itch. Is it healing now? His medical skills are really amazing. I had this wound for only two days, but it healed so quickly. The knife wound on his leg had been a skin wound, which he had only lightly bandaged. Now it had been removed, and the scab had almost disappeared in two days, leaving no after-effects except a long scar on his leg.

With a medical officer like Ye Tai, the war against the Republicans could have achieved so much with so little loss. I wondered, and felt a chill on the side of my face and a wetness on my cheeks.

Is it my tears?

I touched my face. My palms were wet, but I knew they wouldn't be tears. Bai Wei's last kiss did make me move, but not moved to that extent, for her, also not reluctant to part, but grateful. After all, I was part of the Imperial army that took the city of Vulture.

It's raining.

My body shuddered. Southern Xinjiang began to enter the rainy season, so the original plan to retreat with fire wall blocking tactics will not be used. Moreover, what if the snake man attacks at this time?

Almost at the same time, shouts went up from all over the city, and among them people shouted at the top of their lungs, "The Snake Man is coming!"

The Serpents have attacked the city many times. But this time it was as if the end had come, and there was an earthquake everywhere, with cries and cries. In the middle of the barracks, several troops who were resting in their barracks also rushed out. The five battalions of Vanguard, Reebok, Iron Wall, Copper City, and Tiger's Tail are divided into five battalions. The Vanguard Battalion is the most elite, and the Reebok Battalion is the strongest among the infantry. In the past, these two battalions were always at the forefront of the attack, but now the two strongest battalions have been reduced by half, and their combat effectiveness is severely damaged. Today it was the turn of the Tongcheng Battalion to rest. The infantry who rushed out of the battalion were in disarray and probably sorting out the plunder. I added a whip, passed them, and headed for the West Side.

The Serpents have not attacked the city for three days. Even though the Reebok Battalion failed in the air fire attack, it must have been a little scary for the Snake men, who would have dared to break out of the city if we hadn't been surrounded. This time, the Snake Man must have noticed that it was raining, too, and seized the opportunity to attack again.

As soon as we reached the west gate, we saw groups of soldiers gathered at the head of the city, going up one by one. Jin Qianshi is the point of the horse, see me, cried: "Chu leader back!"

Many of the Dragon Scale Army had not seen me before. At this moment, they all fell to their knees and said, "Commander Chu."

If I had not recovered Shen Xiping's head, these rebellious soldiers would certainly not have been so satisfied with me. I glanced at them and said, "Please get up. The battle is at hand. Take care, brothers."

The Dragon Scale Army is also a riding army. There were not many horses, and the number of horses in the four armies was small. Even Chai Shengxiang, the king of slayers, had only 3,000 horsemen in his army, but everyone in the Dragon Scale Army had horses. There were already only over two hundred soldiers left in the Dragon Scale Army, but the Lord Wu ordered me to select only one hundred soldiers for the Dragon Scale Army. Now there were three hundred and seven men in the army, including myself. For they kept the city, and the horses were under it.

We were about to go up the city, when suddenly a gallop came from the south. When they were far away, they heard, "Is the leader of the Dragonscale?"

That's a thunder drum. I reined in my horse and waited for the thunder drum to come. "I am Chu Xiuhong, commander of the Dragon Scale Army," I said.

Thunder Drum led the horse. The horse ran so fast that it could not stand but growled. The rain was dropping a few drops now and then, but the man and the horse seemed to be in the same boat, and they were all steaming white. The thunder drum shouted: "Chu Xiuhong, commander of the Dragon Scale Army, listens to the order. Marquis Wu has an order. The North gate is in emergency.

I was surprised and said, "Are there snake people outside the north gate?" The Thunder drum ignored me and ran quickly to the east gate.

I looked at Gold Qian Shi, he also looked stunned. It occurred to me that it would be a very bad thing if the Serpents attacked now that Luo Jingwei had left the city. I shouted at Kim Qianshi: "Go!"

There was a road to the North Gate, from the south gate to the north gate. We set out from the west gate, but we will go through the path. I led three hundred men through a heap of debris to the road.

Known as the "Road of Ten Horses," ten horses can ride side by side. Despite the disaster, the SLATE paved road is still smooth. In this avenue, you can gallop.

As soon as we were on the road, we heard behind us the sound of horses' hoofs, like a storm. When I looked back, I saw that Lu Gongxing was in the lead and coming with the vanguard battalion.

What the hell is going on at the North Gate?

On the galloping horse, the rain began to fall heavily. Through the curtain of rain, I only feel that everything in front of me is like a dream, a sense of foreboding.