Si Mang, who was walking at the end of the team, witnessed the fierce fighting in Fen, which delayed the retreat of the Korean army and left them no time to cause trouble for themselves. Although he thought that the land of Ji would be destroyed due to this military disaster, he couldn't care less. I also thought that this chaos was likely to attract the Zhao army, and that these Korean soldiers who looted Qin probably had nothing to gain from it, and would eventually die here. I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in my heart: the Zhao people had deceived the Qin people. , the Qin people retaliated against the Zhao people, but the biggest disaster fell on the unrelated South Korea; did the unreasonable disaster really come from heaven and cannot be undone by human beings?
Amid the commotion, Si Mang was the last to enter the valley. He did not rush forward, but dragged himself behind the group with a heavy heart to give himself some space to recover from the suffocation. Here, he doesn't have to think about the direction the team is heading, he just needs to follow it.
This valley is also a channel washed by a river. The snow is so thick that it looks like a quilt. The bottom may be solid rocks or deep pits. If you are not careful, it is easy to scratch your feet or feet. There are many injured people sitting on the roadside with sprained ankles, and there are people beside them comforting and helping them. Si Mang was already the last person standing. If he passed by and these people couldn't catch up, they would be considered to have fallen behind. Someone from the soldiers in front greeted the wounded soldiers and reminded them that they were already the last battalion and they would fall behind if they didn't keep up.
Due to the trampling of pedestrians in front, the snow has melted, revealing the hidden true face underneath, which reduces misjudgments but makes it more muddy. The road became slippery and people fell down from time to time. Along the way, people were sitting on the roadside to rest and recuperate. Si Mang ignored them: the road was clear, and after they camped, the stragglers would be found. If he couldn't find the way back, he would either die of cold and hunger, or be eaten by wild beasts. The chances of going home alone are slim to none!
The troops moved forward for about ten miles and came across an open area with about ten families. Seeing soldiers passing by, the people here ran out long ago. The buildings were low and dilapidated, even looking crumbling. No one was in the mood to go in, so they rested here for a while and took in a few wounded soldiers.
From here, the road ahead turns to a mountain trail to the west. It's said to be a trail, but in fact few people walk it, and you can't even see it. On the road, you can always see dead branches and residual grass cut down by the soldiers marching in front. It should be the road they opened from here.
Si Mang's troops stayed behind and set off nearly half a day later than the other troops. It gets dark early in winter, and the mountains are constantly cloudy and sunny. It's already very dark in the valley after entering the trail. But wherever the team went, there was no village in front of them and no store behind them. Apart from the muddy roads, there was pure white snow. The camp secretary came over and asked if he wanted to camp. Si Mang replied, "Continue to move forward and catch up with the rear army."
It was getting darker, so Yingsi wanted to use dead branches and grass to make some torches. But the dead branches and grass here were very damp and couldn't be lit at all, so Ying Si had to give up.
It was even more difficult to march in the dark. Everyone could only rely on the reflection of the snow to barely see the road under their feet and move forward with difficulty. Although Si Mang was born as a military soldier, his physical strength was very high. Finally, we saw the marks of the former army's attack in front of us, and everyone wanted to sit down and take a rest. But Si Mang disagreed. The temperature here is extremely low, surrounded by snow and howling cold wind. If you sit down at night, you may freeze immediately. He ordered the troops not to stop and to move forward.
In the silent snow, there was only the sound of footsteps; from time to time someone fell and made a sound of "ouch". But finally there was a scream from the front. Si Mang rushed over and saw a soldier falling straight into the snow and stopping breathing. Si Mang shouted loudly: "Stop! If you stop, you will freeze to death! The strong will hold on to the weak, and they will move forward and survive!"
He casually picked up a thin soldier beside him and strode forward. I don’t know how long I have walked, and I don’t know how many people have fallen down. The remaining people have become stiff-minded and have only one thought: move forward, move forward, and never fall! We kept seeing frozen soldiers sitting or lying half-lying in front of us. They maintained a resting posture, as if they were alive, but they fell down when they touched them with their hands, and there was no heat left on their bodies! These should be the soldiers who froze to death in the front troops. Si Mang shouted: "Get up, get up, the army is in front, we will arrive just a little ahead!"
My legs were numb when I walked, and my whole body was stiff. It seemed that there was only a trace of heat in my heart, supporting the movements of my whole body. No one had any more thoughts, and even when they fell, there was no "ouch" sound, and they quietly got up and continued moving forward. ——If you can't get up, you can only let him stay forever! It was already midnight when I saw the light of fire under the mountain in front of me.
The sentry shouted the command, but there was no way he could answer it. Si Mang came out and said: "We are in the rear camp. I am Xinling Wei Mang. The sentry came over and took a look. He saw that Si Mang's beard and hair were spread out, and his face was covered with wind and frost, but he vaguely looked like something he had seen before, so he let him go. Si Mang asked He said: "Where are you gentlemen?" "
The sentry pointed to a camp and said, "It's in the middle camp!"
Si Mang and others asked for the password and went down the mountain. This is a large settlement with about a thousand households. When the former army entered, the people of the city had already fled. After Si Mang led all the troops in, he first found Xin Lingcheng, who was temporarily in charge of the rear army. Xinlingcheng didn't know much about military affairs, but he was good at administration. He might not lack marching orders, but he was very good at arranging houses. When he saw Si Mang, he immediately took the people from the camp to the prearranged camp.
This camp is an open space surrounded by five surrounding houses, and those five houses serve as barracks. Dead branches have been piled up in the camp, just waiting to be set on fire. Since it was already midnight, many soldiers from nearby military camps went into their barracks to sleep. Simang sent his soldiers to the nearby camp to get firewood and lit bonfires everywhere. The group of soldiers sat down by the fire, thinking about the hardships along the way, and couldn't stop crying! Si Mang shouted sternly: "Silence!" The crying turned into sobbing, but it was still difficult to stop.
Si Mang said: "All the troops should stop warming themselves by the fire. Each of you can see his own merits. But if there is any redness or swelling, you must rub it with snow to warm it up before you can warm yourself up by the fire!"
He ordered officers at all levels to inspect his soldiers one by one, and ordered those with redness and swelling to be wiped with snow. It's on the edge of the campground, so it's relatively easy to get snow. For convenience, some people collect snow under the wall, behind the house, or even on the house. Most people find pots, jars and other items from their houses, but go to the mountains to get snow.
Almost all of the people's feet had frostbite of varying degrees, and they had to be rubbed with snow for half a month to warm them up. As everyone healed their wounds, the sobbing stopped. Each group took millet and cauldron and started cooking porridge.
The firelight danced on everyone's face, and new hope returned to them.
Si Mang asked Xinling Cheng where Master Jiu was? Xin Lingcheng replied that Prince Jiu and his entourage of more than ten people were in the front army squadron with the animals. It was said that they would ride for several miles when they were tired. However, the mountain roads are rugged, and riding bulls and horses is not easy. Si Mang asked where the former army had advanced so far. Xin Lingcheng took out a bamboo slip from his arms, handed it to Simang, and said: "The former army reported that they have entered Nirvana City. We will set off the next day and also go to Nirvana City. Nirvana City has a city where we can garrison troops. ." Si Mang's eyes darkened when he arrived here. He had no choice but to listen to Master Jiu's instructions on where to go, feeling very passive. But the matter has come to this, and there is nothing that can be done.
After coming out of Xin Lingcheng's place, Si Mang found Mr. Jin again and asked him where nirvana was. Mr. Jin couldn’t explain clearly. He only knew that one of the seventeen cities in Shangdang had the name Nirvana. As for where it was and what geographical features it had, he had no idea. Si Mang shook his head and sighed.
Early the next morning, the trumpet sounded, and the silent mountain town became noisy. After counting the number of people, it was found that although some returned at night, there were still more than 200 people reduced, and many of the others were injured or injured. People like Si Mang, who are basically intact except for physical exertion, are among the very few.
After breakfast, the troops set off on the road in turn. The road left by the front team's trampling is like a trace, guiding the direction of travel. Si Mang and others had no idea and could only move forward.
First, we went south along a small river, and then walked around the mountain in front of it. Although there was not a huge population along the way, we did see three or five families from time to time, but they all hid when they saw soldiers passing by. We rested three times on the way, and the troop reduction was not large. Although the road was not easy to walk, there were people walking on it from time to time, so there was no need to open the road. Although it was a little muddy, it was still solid after a night of freezing. Overall, it went smoothly, but there were some problems. Slippery, people often fall. But it was much better than last night's march in the mountains. Coming out of the mountain road is a mountain valley. There is not much snow here, and the traces of the former army are not obvious. Si Mang asked everyone to rest here temporarily and sent people to inquire around. The conclusion was soon reached, and the former army turned west and climbed over a mountain. Since there was obvious cow and horse dung on the roadside, it couldn't be wrong. Si Mang looked at the sky and saw that the sun was already heading west, so he ordered his troops to set off immediately and rush over the mountain to the west before dark. When everyone climbed up the mountain, the sky suddenly cleared up and the sun was setting on the mountain farther west. Under the setting sun, a city was clearly visible!
After seeing the destination, everyone's mood was high. After descending the mountain, there was a road that, although not a thoroughfare, had obviously been stepped on countless times, leading directly to the city.
Halfway through, they saw a group of Wei soldiers coming towards them. They were soldiers from the front army. Seeing people coming up the mountain, they knew they were the rear army, so they sent people to greet them. Si Mang unexpectedly discovered that Master Jiu was among them!
Gongzi Jiu set out with the rear camp of the former army. This five-battalion force was responsible for escorting baggage and livestock. Therefore, compared to the rear army, Gongzi Jiu can be considered pampered. The commander of the army allocates five horses to Prince Jiu and his retainers. Anyway, there are many horses, so whoever can lead them will lead them. This also provides convenience for Gongzi Jiu and others. When the terrain is easy, they take turns leading the horses and riding them; when the terrain is rough, they dismount collectively and walk, pulling or pushing, to protect the horses from damage. Although the journey was tiring, they were neither left behind nor injured. Prince Jiu gave all the credit to Si Mang, so he came here to express his gratitude!
