Chu Xiuyang lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and had a lot of thoughts in her heart. Of the 55,000 soldiers, there are only less than 10,000 left, and there is a more dangerous mountain road ahead. It is not known how many people can return to the north alive.
Lu Zijin used this trick to gain the trust of the demon clan. Is the price too high? Furthermore, among the seven passes, their soldiers from Tanglin Pass are not necessarily required to be the bait.
The reason why Lu Zijin chose Tanglin Pass was that the Yao clan had suffered great losses at Tanglin Pass, so he hated Tanglin Pass even more.
Moreover, until now, the soldiers under his command are still kept in the dark, and they have no idea that they have become pawns in other people's games - or even abandoned pawns.
Thinking of the words he said in front of them at the north gate of Tanglin Pass that day...those words to boost morale.
Those soldiers trusted her so much, but she led them on a road of narrow escape. Thinking of this, Chu Xiuyang felt deeply guilty.
Yes, Xu Huaigu is right. What each soldier contributes on the battlefield is not just his own life. They are also the sons of their parents at home, the dependence of their wives, and the fathers of their children.
As a general, leading these people on an expedition carries too many responsibilities. I am not cautious enough, far from it.
While thinking about all this, Chu Xiuyang couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the camp, and the sound got closer and closer. She opened her eyes and saw a man in black walking into the camp with a sword on his waist. It was Xu Huaigu, and Fan Xuan followed him.
Seeing Chu Xiuyang's eyes open, Xu Huaigu hurriedly walked forward, sat down on the edge of the bed, and asked with concern: "Does it still hurt?"
"Much better, only a little pain is still there." Chu Xiuyang stopped her thoughts, relaxed her brows, and smiled slightly.
"It's better to have something from a monk. Once I put on this robe, I feel much more comfortable. The medicine given by Miss Fan is also very good. I was so seriously injured that I feel like I will be able to walk in less than a few days."
"You can't leave!" Fan Xuan heard this and said hurriedly,
"Although the monk's medicine is good, I'm afraid the general's physique won't be able to bear it. I was in a hurry at that time and there was nothing I could do, so I fed you the monk's elixir. General Chu feels good at this time and depends on him. That robe can reduce pain. In my opinion, with the general's current injury, he will have to rest for at least two or three days before he can get out of bed." Xu Huaigu put his hand on her pulse, and after a moment, he nodded and said, "Me too I think so, don’t be brave, just stay in bed for two more days.”
"No." Chu Xiuyang shook her head firmly.
"I just gave the order that the team will set off tomorrow morning and go north on the mountain road. I have to follow." Fan Xuan frowned and said: "But your injury is not healed yet and you cannot bear the bumps. Otherwise, if the old injury is caused again, If you get to the root of the disease, you will be in trouble." Xu Huaigu lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said: "How about I use the flying sword to carry you back to the north, and I will rush back and go north with the soldiers. Don't worry, I, Xu Huaigu, promised you that I will not If I break my promise, I will definitely do my best to help these soldiers return to the north." Chu Xiuyang smiled and said: "You are such a smart man, don't you know the principle of 'Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you'? Do you still remember What did you say to me on the eve of the breakout? I let you go, but you said that if you left, you would be no different from a deserter. What about me? Fortunately, I was still the general guarding Tanglin Pass. I gave up before the battle started. What does it mean to leave your own army and escape alone? Even a deserter is worse. Do you want me to have such a reputation?" As expected, Chu Xiuyang would not agree. As expected, Xu Huaigu sighed helplessly.
Fan Xuan said with a serious look: "If the general insists on leaving, he has to find a stretcher and have someone carry it. In short, you can't move around." Chu Xiuyang laughed and said, "Even I was Carrying it away, other people in the army have seen it, what do they think? What morale is there to talk about? I have already thought about it, you don’t have to persuade me, I will ride on horseback tomorrow and walk with the soldiers." I can’t even move. If you want to move, you still need to ride a horse?
Fan Xuan was anxious and looked at Xu Huaigu, wanting him to help persuade her again, but Xu Huaigu shook his head, took out two red pills from his sleeves, handed them to her and said, "Okay, let's do this. These are two painkillers. If the pain is unbearable, just take it." Chu Xiuyang accepted it happily and said with a smile: "Mr. Xu understands me, thank you very much." Xu Huaigu said seriously: "Tomorrow I will I will follow you closely." Chu Xiuyang shook his head with a smile and said: "I appreciate your kindness, but if you always guard me, the demon clan will think that I am an important person and target me. Mr. Xu is currently It is the strongest combat force in our camp. We should focus on the overall situation and let as many soldiers survive as possible instead of just protecting me." Seeing her disobedience, Xu Huaigu sounded a little excited and asked: "What do you have? I never thought that if you died, how could I have the face to see your brother? If I had known you were so willful, I shouldn't have let you go south in the first place, you should have stayed in the palace!" But there was no trace of emotion on Chu Xiuyang's face. There was no hint of sullenness, but a smile. "But you still let me go, didn't you? Now you are my subordinate. This is an order. Will you accept it or not?" Xu Huaigu was so angry that he could not speak for a long time. , then he slapped the table and walked away without looking back, while Chu Xiuyang just looked at his back with a smile.
Some of what the two said was understandable to Fan Xuan, and some she couldn't understand. However, she could feel that Xu Huaigu cared about Chu Xiuyang very much and he didn't want her to die.
This is the reason why he is angry, and also the reason why Chu Xiuyang laughs. The two of them knew each other's thoughts very well.
Chu Xiuyang stretched out her hand, took Fan Xuan's hand, with the smile still on her face, and asked: "Miss Fan, will you go with us tomorrow?" Fan Xuan nodded and replied: "Yes, let's go together. North."
"What happens after that?" Fan Xuan thought for a moment and said, "It depends on Mr. Lu's arrangements. If we are still needed, I will stay. If we are no longer needed, I will set off back to the sect. Master must miss me. Yes." Chu Xiuyang thought for a moment, nodded, and suddenly said with a solemn expression, "Please be more careful tomorrow, Miss Fan." Fan Xuan was stunned for a moment, and then replied with some confusion: "This It's natural, I don't dare to slack off on the battlefield, I am very careful every day." Chu Xiuyang sighed and closed his eyes.
Fan Xuan was confused and asked: "General, are you tired? If you don't take another sleeping pill, you can sleep until tomorrow morning and your injury will heal faster." Chu Xiuyang didn't say anything, just smiled slightly Frowning, eyes closed, eye sockets tightly closed.
She looked a little sad. ...General Jiang could not wait to leave, so at the fourth watch, he issued an order to pack up the equipment.
As soon as the genius shone slightly and the whiteness of the fish belly was not obvious yet, the army was already ready to go. Four thousand six hundred cavalry and ten thousand soldiers on foot embarked on their way back north.
He didn't know if he didn't move, but when he moved, Chu Xiuyang realized that what Fan Xuan said yesterday was not a lie.
Before she even stepped into the stirrups, she felt unbearable pain, and she couldn't show it in front of everyone, so she had to grit her teeth and get on the horse.
Every time the horse took a step, Chu Xiuyang's heart hurt like a knife. But thinking that so many soldiers had fallen on the way north, what did my pain mean?
Chu Xiuyang knew that she had no way out. She took a medicine given to her by Xu Huaigu yesterday, and walked in front of the team with a calm expression.
Fan Xuan walked and never left her very far. Seeing her stubbornly and tenaciously riding a horse despite being injured, Fan Xuan seemed to realize something, and seemed to understand why Xu Huaigu didn't admonish her again yesterday.
However, Fan Xuan looked around and did not see Xu Huaigu. However, this army also had nearly 15,000 people, and the queue stretched for half a mile. Xu Huaigu might be among them. It would not be surprising if he could not be found. Fan Xuan did not think too much about it.
The army walked north, and after about two hours, the mountain behind Tanglin Pass was trampled under the hooves of horses.
The southern part of Dayu Country is mostly hilly terrain. Although in Xu Huaigu's view, the mountains are not high at all, but for people born and raised in Dayu Country, it is already dangerous enough.
Furthermore, the climate in the south of Dayu is humid and warm, so the mountains and fields are full of lush green, with countless towering trees and dense vines and weeds underground.
It really takes a lot of effort to carve out a road in such a mountain. If we talk about the history of this mountain road, we have to trace it back to the catastrophe five hundred years ago.
During the war between the demon clan and the human race, the ancestors of the Dayu Kingdom built passes to resist the demon clan's attack. At that time, this mountain road existed, and the seven passes were also a product of that time.
Now that the demon clan has made a comeback, the Dayu Kingdom has reactivated the Seven Passes and rebuilt this road that had long been hidden in the mountains according to the ancient system for transporting strategic materials.
At this time, this road was the only escape route for the Tanglin Pass soldiers. For the sake of caution, General Jiang sent several scouts to conduct reconnaissance at the foot of the mountain.
Not long after, the scout reported back and said that he had not found any trouble. General Jiang felt relieved and asked Chu Xiuyang again. Chu Xiuyang nodded, and the army continued to move north along the mountain road.
This mountain road stretches for more than ten miles, and it is not until dusk that the army can get out of the mountain road. Then, walking no more than five or six miles to the northwest, you will find a major military town.
That place is still under the control of Dayu Country. As long as you get there, you will be safe. The army advanced cautiously and walked on the mountain road for more than three hours. More than half of the way, they did not see any trace of the demon clan.
Gradually, everyone felt that this hidden mountain road had not been discovered by the demon clan, and they all lowered their guard.
General Jiang was very satisfied. He rode his horse to Chu Xiuyang's side and smiled at her: "Is that so, General? This road is already hidden. The demon clan just captured the seventh pass, so they must not have had time to discover this road." , let alone an ambush." Chu Xiuyang sneered twice and ignored him, but called Fan Xuan who was not far away, lowered her head and said to her: "Miss Fan, your waist is too thin, I am wearing armor , this robe doesn't fit me well and is very uncomfortable. I took Xu Huaigu's medicine and I feel much better. I'd better return this robe to you." Fan Xuan hurriedly refused: "It doesn't matter if the robe is uncomfortable. Let's recuperate. That's the first thing." However, Chu Xiuyang insisted not to do so and insisted on returning the robe to her.
Fan Xuan'ao couldn't help it, so she had to accept the robe and wear it on herself. Chu Xiuyang silently took out the second pill given by Xu Huaigu from her sleeve, raised her head and swallowed it.
The army continued to move forward for two miles, but there was still no movement. Now even Chu Xiuyang was a little suspicious. They had walked so far along the way, but they didn't see any trace of the demon clan. Could it be that the demon clan didn't ambush them at all?
Or maybe there was an error when Lu Zijin passed on the false information, and the demon clan still didn't know about the existence of this mountain road?
Chu Xiuyang sat on the horse and looked carefully at the mountains on both sides. The green trees are lush, the trees are shady, and the birds are singing all the time. It is a peaceful and peaceful scene.
Or maybe the demon clan has been waiting on both sides for a long time, just waiting for the best opportunity? There is a river valley not far ahead. The river valley is full of cobblestones and the terrain is open.
Chu Xiuyang then ordered: "Have a rest in the valley ahead and light a fire to cook." After receiving the order, the soldiers rested temporarily in the valley, set up the stove, and lit a fire to cook.
Everyone gathered in small groups of twos and threes, some chatting, some squinting and taking a nap, enjoying this rare leisure.
Chu Xiuyang dismounted and walked to the river. She picked up a handful of water and washed her face. She complained secretly that it hurt, but her face showed no change.
She felt a gust of wind blowing, and the sound of wind rustling through the leaves came to her ears. She raised her head and looked at the surrounding mountains, and saw that at some point, densely packed monsters poured out of the woods, screaming and rushing towards the army in the camp.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Get your weapons quickly!" A series of shouts came, and the resting soldiers were busy raising their knives and guns to deal with the monsters. However, before they had time, many people had been knocked down by the monsters. The horses were frightened and scattered in all directions.
The scene was chaotic with horses neighing, people shouting, monsters roaring, and chaotic footsteps. This was all within Chu Xiuyang's expectation. She quickly took off the big horn bow hanging on the horse beside her, drew the bow and fired arrows in the direction of the demon clan's attack.
The movements are skillful and flowing.
