Wu Gen hurried to a large camp outside the city. The errand of the school captain's mansion had been handed over, but he still retained his position. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at Wu Gen's departure, and finally sent the thorn-headed man away, hoping he would never come back.
He secretly left a letter to Sun Hong, explaining the reason for his departure. The letter contained serious words and told him not to put down arithmetic, as his accountant would be reused in the future.
When they arrived at the military camp, they found Zhang Yuan and Sha Chu who were preparing for a long journey.
There were a total of forty Xiang troops escorting this time. They were led by the commander surnamed Chen from another camp. Zhang Yuan served as deputy, and Wu Gen was just one of them.
I don’t know who is escorting such a large formation this time. Wu Gen wandered around and asked about the purpose of this visit. But after asking around, everyone was vague and just said they were following orders.
After staying in the camp for a day, Commander Chen summoned everyone to announce the rules of the trip. That is, everything is based on the noble's oral instructions. You are not allowed to act without authorization, and you are not allowed to peek into the noble's secrets. If someone violates the rules, according to the authority of the county guard, he can be executed first and then punished.
The next day, after the inventory of men and horses was completed, Commander Chen led the team and rushed to the west gate of Dingyuan City, where they waited quietly. After waiting for a full hour, the city gate opened wide, and ten heavy cavalry rushed out first.
These people are all wearing heavy armor, each holding a long spear, a long sword at his waist, and an arrow pot on his back. Even the horse beneath him was extremely muscular, half a body taller than the horse beneath Wu Gen.
The heavy cavalry were obviously battle-hardened. After charging out, they quickly spread out in a fan shape, alerting all directions and not too far apart from each other to facilitate timely support. When they passed by Wu Gen and others, a strong murderous aura came towards them. Obviously, these cavalrymen have blood on their hands, otherwise they would not be so powerful.
A luxuriously decorated carriage walked out of the city gate. The carriage was inlaid with patterns of blue birds circling the sun and horses riding flying geese. The golden bird-shaped decoration on the roof was eye-catching.
Behind the carriage, a tall, bald man, taller than the carriage, followed on foot holding a giant axe. There were also a dozen ordinary carriages following behind, which should have been used to load supplies and servants.
Behind them is a group of local officials. A middle-aged man in official uniform walked out of the crowd and was about to kneel down in front of the first carriage when he was stopped by the people in the carriage in a low voice. The two chatted for a few words through the curtain. The middle-aged man stepped backwards to the side of the road and stepped out of the way, not even daring to raise his head.
Several strange-looking people on horseback walked out arrogantly, followed by more than twenty heavy riders, tightly protecting the carriage.
Zhang Yuan saw Wu Gen's strange expression and whispered: "I don't know who is sitting in this car. I need Commander Qin to see him off in person."
Even people like the county governor, who were usually out of reach, greeted him respectfully and treated him with care, which showed the identity of the person in the car.
Wu Gen glanced at Sheriff Qin, and soon his attention was attracted by the golden decoration on the roof of the car, and he secretly wondered how much silver he could break it off.
Zhang Yuan saw through his thoughts at a glance, poked his arm and whispered: "Respect yourself, that is a nobleman's car, and collision will be a death penalty."
After the heavy cavalry and the side soldiers reorganized into formation, an order was given and the convoy slowly set off to the west.
After walking a few miles, Wu Gen turned his head and looked at the majestic city. Dingyuan City is hidden under the pale blue sky, surrounded by a wilderness. I don't know if it is due to my mood, but it looks a little desolate.
Dingyuan City, the village owner will come back, and the girl by the lake.
The convoy moved all the way to the west, and the speed was not slow. It only stopped to rest when eating. Fortunately, everyone was born in the military and had long been accustomed to the food and dew, so there was no discomfort with this kind of journey.
At night, the team rested in a small pavilion. There are only four or five rooms in the hotel, so these Xiang troops are naturally not allowed to enter, so they can only sleep in the surroundings.
Wu Gen, Zhang Yuan and others sat around, the campfire crackling. A few people made naan on skewers with tree branches, and after heating it, it was their meal tonight.
Because Commander Chen came from another Xiang army camp, and most of the people he brought were sergeants from his own camp, he was naturally somewhat alienated from Zhang Yuan and others, so Wu Gen and others naturally got together.
The firelight flickered, illuminating several people's faces brightly or darkly. From time to time, someone took out a wine bag and took a few sips. On this trip, the rationing was very generous, and everyone got a few kilograms of good wine.
"Tell me, is the nobleman in the car a man or a woman? I didn't see him coming down to urinate all the way. Could it be done in the car?" Sha Chu lowered his voice and said with a wretched look on his face. Everyone present is a fool, so naturally the talk at this time is vulgar.
Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes at him, "I'm eating, what are you talking about?" He casually stuffed the last piece of naan into his mouth.
"Female." Wu Gen suddenly said, "Just now I saw a maid serving tea and water."
"That's not necessarily the case. A noble man can't bring a few maids to serve him. He might as well do it at night...hehehehe." Shachuzai retorted with a smile, and the people around him also laughed knowingly.
Zhang Yuan smiled and raised his hand and slapped Sha Chu, "Don't talk nonsense, there is a small cucumber here that has never been eaten meat." Everyone laughed when they heard this, winking and teasing Wu Gen.
Wu Gen was completely unmoved by such provocative words. Back in Dafeng Village, every time I snatched a new wife, I had to roll into bed for her, and I also did a lot of lying in corners. Such jokes were not easy to mention. It smells like rouge, so if it were a man, it would definitely not be like this."
Zhang Yuan was a little surprised, "You should watch carefully and don't get too close to the car, lest the noble man blame you."
A few people were chatting when suddenly the noise around them disappeared and the crowd became quiet. They couldn't help but look up in surprise.
A black cat walked through the bonfire as if there was no one around. His green eyes shone with a faint light, and his sharp and cold eyes swept across him, making everyone who saw him feel chilly.
As the black cat passed by, the originally lively atmosphere gradually became deserted, and the bonfire seemed to have shrunk a bit.
The black cat turned around, then turned and walked towards the direction of Wu Gen. When he arrived at the bonfire, he stared at Wu Gen for a moment with green cat eyes, then jumped onto his lap without any signs of life, turned his head and started sniffing.
Zhang Yuan and others looked surprised, staring at the black cat's actions.
Wu Gen reached out and was about to stroke the cat's back, but suddenly the black cat's hair exploded, a low roar came from its throat, its fangs exposed, and it jumped to the side.
A beast dared to yell at him, so Wu Gen naturally refused to show weakness and glared at the black cat with bared teeth.
One person and one cat were facing each other like this. Gradually, black mist appeared in the black cat's green eyes, and there was a faint trace of black energy coming out of the body.
Zhang Yuan and others' faces turned pale. In a daze, the black cat was getting bigger and bigger. It was looking down at a few people coldly, and it might choose someone to devour at any time.
"Xiao Hei, you're back." A woman's voice came, and the surrounding visions suddenly disappeared. The black cat lost its ferocious attitude, licked its paws, glanced at Wu Gen as if demonstrating, then turned and walked in the direction of the sound.
A maid walked out of the hotel, reached out to pick up the black cat, glanced in Wu Gen's direction strangely, and turned back to the small courtyard of the hotel.
"Oh my god, what is this? It's so evil, it scared me to death just now." Shachu let out a long breath, patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Gen stared in the direction of the small courtyard, his mind was a little confused just now. For a moment, he almost couldn't help but draw out his knife to kill this petite-looking black cat.
"Are you okay?" Zhang Yuan noticed something was wrong with Wu Gen and gently patted him on the shoulder.
Wu Gen turned back and said, "It's okay." His fists unclenched and clenched from time to time, obviously feeling a little uneasy.
The convoy walked for ten consecutive days. There was no resting place like Guanyi in front of them, and the surrounding area gradually became desolate. Everywhere is gray, with a few trees dotting the wilderness listlessly. This made the group of people who were accustomed to green mountains and green waters feel quite uncomfortable.
Further ahead is the boundary of Xingluoyuan.
Xingluoyuan is actually not the boundary of Zhao State, and it even does not belong to any country. Because the environment inside is very harsh, many strange things happen, and most of the people who entered have no bones left.
It is named Yuan. It is said that its territory even exceeds the size of Zhao State. No map can clearly mark the terrain inside.
According to the original plan, the group only had to cut a small corner of Xingluoyuan, pass through, and then turn towards the direction of Guanxi City. Going only this far, there is no great danger as long as you are careful.
However, that night, when the group was resting, Commander Chen came over and conveyed the noble man's instructions, and the team continued forward, heading towards the hinterland of Xingluo Plain.
There was a commotion in the crowd. After all, that was not what they said at the beginning, but it was difficult to disobey the military order, so they could only secretly resent it in their hearts.
Zhang Yuan found Commander Chen and asked why he made such a hasty decision and where he was going.
Commander Chen said in a bad tone, "Captain Zhang, you have your orders, why don't you obey them? As for where you are going, I don't know. But I want to remind you that since we came out together, there should be no distinction between you and me."
Those people you brought must obey unified orders. There may be some dangers ahead. Our Xiang army has to send out scouts to investigate every day. We hope that Commander Zhang will restrain his men and not be afraid of hardships and dangers and make a difference. "
Zhang Yuan felt useless and walked back in anger. Everyone is reminded to be cautious, act smart, and put life first in everything.
After all, I felt that there was no risk at the beginning, so I brought a group of brothers out. But looking at this situation now, I don't know what kind of twists and turns there will be along the way. It will inevitably hurt people and kill people. It really makes me feel like a human being inside and outside.
Early the next morning, Commander Chen divided all the Xiang troops into groups of five to guard in all directions. With Zhang Yuan's efforts, Wu Gen was reunited with Zhang Yuan, Sha Chu and others.
It's just that this group's position is a bit forward, at the forefront, euphemistically called the vanguard, and is personally led by Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan was angry and walked at the front of the team. Everyone knew that forwards were the most vulnerable to damage. The man named Chen was obviously abusing his power.
Wu Gen didn't care. With Zhang Yuan, he felt more at ease with someone he knew well. He urged the horse over with a smile, "Shachu, you kid, put on a scarf all the way. The ladies are moaning, it's uncomfortable."
Shachu sniffed, and uncharacteristically, he squinted and looked into the distance, then turned around and said, "I grew up in the wilderness, and this wind and sand are really uncomfortable."
Before Zhang Yuan could speak, someone next to him laughed and said, "It's not like we haven't run in the desert before. A little sand is nothing, just treat it as something to chew on when you are bored."
For the first time today, Sha Chu didn't refute. He got off his horse and grabbed a handful of soil with his hands. He twisted it lightly with his fingers and raised his head and said, "Oh, there are many weird things in Xingluo Plain. My ancestors were traders and traveled all over the country. This Xingluo Plain I have been here a few times.
Once, unfortunately, they encountered Ma Guitou, and only two of the seventy or eighty people came back alive. Since then, I have never been to Xingluo Plain. "
Zhang Yuan was a little surprised, "What is Ma Guitou? What's so great about it?"
Sha Chu said slowly: "Ma Guitou is a kind of mushroom that grows in the wilderness. When it matures, it emits a kind of smoke. Once humans and animals inhale it, they will become unconscious at best, and they will be sucked dry of their flesh and blood by it.
However, I am not sure whether we will encounter him during this trip, so it is not easy to talk to everyone, lest it upset the morale of the army. "
Wu Gen couldn't help but feel his scalp numb after hearing this. He looked at Zhang Yuan and without saying a word pulled out a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his face.
Zhang Yuan ran alone to the team behind him, found Commander Chen, and relayed what Sha Chu said.
After hearing this, Commander Chen's face sank, "It's ridiculous, this person is obviously cowardly and alarmist, how could there be such a evil thing.
Zhang Yuan, the person we are escorting this time is a noble man. What would he think if he saw the troops in Dingyuan City looking like this? "
Zhang Yuangang was about to defend himself, but Commander Chen continued: "That's all, you guys can just cover up and report back in time if you need anything. With so many elites here, we're still afraid of those monsters and monsters." He waved his hand impatiently.
Seeing that the other party refused to adopt his opinion, Zhang Yuan was angry and turned his horse back to his group.
Looking at Zhang Yuan's expression, Wu Gen sighed in his heart, hoping that he would not encounter Ma Guitou during this trip. Otherwise, no matter how many people there are, what's the use? They can only cause casualties.
