The blood on Masan's legs finally ran out, and a large area of land beneath him was dyed red. Under the guidance of Mr. Zhongyue, the four people placed Masan on a carriage and put a few grains of glutinous rice in his mouth. His crossbow arrows and halberd were also picked up and placed beside him.
After such a long time without adding more firewood, the bonfire gradually dimmed. Only the fire in the center was still burning brightly because Xiaonu and Genie added more firewood. After this blow, all the disciples felt depressed. They were busy with defense and were in no mood to add more firewood. The postman gradually got out of the firelight.
Just now, the whole body and mind were covered with grief. Now that the matter is over, the four postmen feel the burning pain of the wounds on their bodies. When I took off the leather armor and looked at it, I saw that the clothes were already stuck to the flesh and blood, and when I pulled them, it hurt terribly. Mr. Zhongyue scooped out a cup of water from the water cart, asked a waiter for some salt to dissolve in the water, pulled off a piece of clothes, dipped it in water and gently moistened the clothes; he cut each wound one by one. The bloodstains all around were cleaned up, and Wen Yan warned: "Don't ignore it. If the bloodstains are not clean and are contaminated by flies, they may rot and suppurate. ... It's too late today. When you enter the city the next day, you must go to our place to get medicine and apply it to ensure that you are safe." thing."
All the postmen were frightened and said: "How dare I trouble you sir!"
Mr. Zhongyue said: "When a guest comes, I share the same hatred with you; when a guest leaves, I share the same robe with you. Why bother!"
Among the four, Zheng Anping rushed forward the most and received the most arrows. In addition, he had received a sword wound a month ago, and his chest was in a mess. But he gritted his teeth and insisted on letting others treat it first and himself last. Mr. Zhongyue spent more time with him than others. Fortunately, the crossbowman was still far away at this time and did not focus on him. He was hit by arrows one after another and in different directions. One of the arrows hit him after he was blown away. Otherwise, he would have been hit by the arrow. Like Ma San, his chest was blown flat. Even so, when Mr. Zhongyue treated him, he grinned and gasped. After Mr. Zhongyue cleaned his wound, he specifically told him not to exert force for a month for fear of internal injuries. He also specially tore his underwear into strips and wrapped them tightly around his chest and back. No one else treats it this way. This also made the other three people feel the seriousness of Zheng Anping's injury.
The defenders in the Great Wall finally came out and knew that they had just encountered a small thief. The gentlemen had no casualties, but one post official was killed and four post soldiers were injured. The thief had retreated. The uncle who led the team made a serious patrol and then returned to the city to resume his duties. As the situation gradually calmed down, the cordon gradually expanded and the bonfires in the camp were rekindled.
Mr. Zhongyue asked the four people to go back again, but the four refused and said, "My five sons are willing to live in the same place." Mr. Zhongyue did not force himself, and just told the guests at the nearest fire pit that he would go back to the middle. Go to the fire.
Although the disciples who went to catch up did not catch up with the assassin, they also made a significant gain: in order to facilitate their escape, the assassin dropped his crossbow and arrows. After Mr. Zhongyue came back, Mr. Guo gave the crossbow and arrows he picked up to Mr. Zhongyue for inspection. Mr. Zhongyue talked with them for a while, then asked Mr. Guo and the others to go outside the camp again and use torches to look for possible clues.
The guests who were sitting near the fire came to express their condolences and said some words of praise. Later, everyone was tired and closed their eyes and fell asleep.
With the sound of bells and drums, the camp comes alive again. After breakfast, we regrouped and set off.
The four postmen were no longer asked to escort An Che, but were arranged to accompany Masan's body. The coachman with Tang's syndrome was a little unhappy, so the postman simply asked the coachman to help other cars and drove the car himself. The three of them were all injured and had lost a lot of blood. They were exhausted and took turns sitting in the car to move forward regardless of any taboos.
It is a very exciting thing for an army of hundreds of vehicles to pass through the city gate. I left the city once two days ago and entered the city again today. Especially today, they were more majestic and neat than when they left the city, attracting cheers from the defenders. When the bullock cart pulling the corpse passed the city gate, the defenders exchanged strange glances with each other; as for the An chariot, it was directly speculated that it was Lord Xinling's own chariot - Mr. Wei, so naturally he had to sit in An chariot even when he was out of battle. A car, and maybe a little girl! The group of beggars at the end of the formation made the defenders laugh: the contrast with the strict formation in front was too sharp.
The road in Putian is narrow, with rice fields on both sides. The convoy must pass one by one and cannot run faster. This is why we couldn't enter the city yesterday and had to camp outside the city. By the time the convoy had completely passed, two hours had passed and it was almost noon.
After delivering the water tanker, the team rearranged their formation under the warm winter weather and drove to Xinzhong. The guard in the confinement had already greeted him ten miles away. Naturally, Mr. Zhongyue could not let him meet Lord Xinling. He only said that the young master was frightened at night. Thank you! The guard in the gate loudly reported that food and fodder had been prepared ahead and the horses could rest.
The defender was very alert. He set up the supply base on the other side of the bridge so that the two bridges were completely under control, thereby completely eliminating the risk of crossing the bridge.
Mr. Zhongyue paid his respects to Lord Xinling. After crossing the bridge, he rested for half an hour outside Xizhong City, letting the cattle and horses eat some grass, and then set off again to look at the beams.
When passing by Liangxi Post, the mood of the postmen was extremely complicated, they wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Mr. Zhongyue asked the four postmen to leave the team together with Masan's body. He told them not to be anxious, and to report the matter to the king when he returns, and the king may grant funeral rites. Just ask them to notify relatives.
The oxcart turned to the front of Liangxi Posthouse. Four postmen removed a door panel, carried Masan into the post house, and placed him in front of the lobby door. After exiting the hall, he sat on the ground in the courtyard. The youngest postman suddenly burst into tears. The other three couldn't hold it in anymore. They laughed or cried as if they were crazy. After venting their anger, the four of them felt extremely tired and fell asleep soundly in front of the hall.
When they were awakened, the sun was setting. Zhang Ye and Mr. Zhongyue personally escorted an ox cart to the front of the post. Four strong men followed the cart. On the cart was a tall coffin.
Zhang He said: "Your Majesty heard about Brother Ma's bravery and knew about Brother Ma's wear and tear. His heart was broken and his emotions were moved. So he was buried with a scholar."
Except for Zheng Anping, the remaining three people could not understand what Zhang Zuo said. They were just surprised that this coffin was so tall. It was not at the same level as the coffins they had seen before, so they were naturally proud of it.
Zheng Anping replied: "The Ma family members are all outside Huayang City, and their friends are all living in Daliang. The lowly and low-ranking postmen all belong to the Ma family, and they are brothers by righteousness. I am willing to guard and see you off!"
Zhang He said: "The bodies of the four heroes were severely injured, and their loyalty is commendable. I am willing to do it before they are buried in the coffin!"
The four big men stepped forward, took out a stretcher from the car, took off Masan's clothes on the door panel, put them on the stretcher, got a bucket of water, and wiped Masan's whole body clean. A set of brocade clothes was taken from the back of the car and put on by Ma San; rouge and indigo were used for makeup. After some plastic surgery, Ma San's face turned rosy again, as if she was sleeping soundly. When the four of them saw each other, they all bowed down to Mr. Zhang Ye and Mr. Zhong Yue and said, "It is difficult to repay the kindness of your Majesty if you are humble enough to die!"
The two gentlemen returned the greeting and said: "Please let the strong men carry the coffin!" Under the guidance of the big man, the four postmen lifted the coffin from the car and brought it to the front of the hall. Four big men took out a whole piece of white cloth from the coffin and put it under Masan's body. Two gentlemen sang praises on the side: "Brother Ma's coffin has been raised!"
The four postmen each grabbed a corner of the cloth, raised it above their heads, and under the instructions of the big man, put Masan's body into the coffin. Four big men closed the coffin lid and coffin lid.
Zhang Ye and Mr. Zhongyue reviewed the situation and decided to place the mourning hall in the west room of the back hall. He led four postmen to tidy up the room, carried the coffin into the room, set up several tables in front of it, and lit three oil lamps. The four postmen and two gentlemen all paid their respects. Then he put his clothes, leather armor, crossbow and halberd into the mourning hall and put them away. Four big men drove away.
Mr. Zhongyue brought the four people out and took out a pottery bottle from his arms, but he couldn't find any water. Zheng Anping said: "There is no sake in the post, but we use water from the outdoor river."
Mr. Zhongyue thought for a while and asked them to light up the fire and prepare the soup. He went out to draw a jar of water and came back, put it on the fire and boiled it. Use a small spoon to skim off the foam on the upper layer, let the water cool, and add salt. He cleaned the wounds of the four people with cloth and applied the medicine in the vial on them. They were repeatedly told to use boiling soup for cleaning and not to use directly drawn water.
While the soup was being cooked, the two gentlemen informed them of the funeral arrangements in detail. The four of them didn't know much, but they all just said: "But I will follow Mr.'s words!"
After applying the medicine, the postmen went to the back to fetch millets, vegetables, jams, etc., and treated the gentleman to dinner. The two wanted to resign, but the four of them were not willing to let go. As a last resort, the two had to eat their first meal back in Daliang at the inn.
After the two gentlemen left, Zheng Anping missed the old man Zhang Lu at home, so he discussed with his companions that he would go home first tonight, and the three of them would keep vigil. None of the three people's homes were nearby, and there was no other word.
Zheng Anping walked on the quiet road with his stick in hand, breathing in the fresh air and thinking about his days in Huayang, which seemed like a lifetime ago. After he relaxed, he felt pain in his chest, making him afraid to breathe hard. He had no choice but to slow down and walk straight along the road to Donghongli, Liangxi Township. Seeing the familiar square in front of him, Zheng Anping was so excited that he almost cried. He pulled up his feet and ran straight to the back.
Suddenly a voice from behind called: "Who is it?"
Zheng Anping quickly turned around and saw the village chief standing behind him. He hurriedly came over to greet him and said, "I am a humble concubine and you are returning home safely!"
The head of the village also recognized Zheng Anping, and immediately showed a warm smile on his face, saying: "Young Master has returned, our city will be honored." The two exchanged a few words, and Zheng Anping hurried home again.
The courtyard that was completely isolated from the surrounding buildings appeared in front of them. Zheng Anping excitedly rushed forward and knocked on the door. In the wing room, Zhang Lu came out slowly, muttering: "It's time to decide, who's coming to visit!" When he saw Zheng Anping, he immediately ran over excitedly, but tripped, and got up regardless of the pain. Opening the door, Zheng Anping stepped in. The two held hands and had tears in their eyes.
