Gan Ning raised the bloody knife and looked at the frightened soldiers coldly. The stern eyes after beheading the soldiers were so horrifying that they were so frightened that they cautiously retreated to the camp.
At this time, Bu Qu, who fell from his horse, had been rescued by his companions. Gan Ning originally planned to destroy the siege equipment and leave, but he did not expect that there would be a surprise before returning home. The dawn that Ling Tong was looking forward to could no longer be seen.
Gan Ning glanced at the head on the ground with contempt, thinking that this might be the so-called fate, and you and your son should not provoke me.
"Let's go." Gan Ning raised his sword and turned back on his horse, leading a hundred Jinfan thieves and sinking into the endless night.
The panic in the camp continued. After the efforts of generals and colonels at all levels to calm down, the riots slowly weakened and subsided.
While each battalion was counting casualties and losses, Cheng Pu and Han Dang drove their horses to the slightly calm south of the village.
"What's going on here? Why are you all stuck here? Where is Ling Gongji?" Cheng Pu walked towards the crowded crowd. The dull soldiers moved slowly. The scene where Ling Tong lost his head just now was really shocking.
When Han Dang saw these people being beaten like eggplants by frost, he shouted loudly: "The deputy governor is here to patrol the camp. Why don't you cheer up and make way for me?"
Han Dang's voice was like thunder, more effective than hypnotic code words. He immediately woke up the stunned crowd, and the soldiers gathered around them dispersed like birds and beasts in an instant.
In the open space outside the village gate, Ling Tong's body was lying there cold.
"It's a public achievement..."
Cheng Pu was so dizzy that he almost fell off the horse. Han Dang quickly helped his old friend off the horse with quick eyes and hands.
Han Dang called a guard to ask, and it confirmed what he had thought before. The person who robbed the camp and killed the general was Gan Ning, the thief of Jinfan. Han Dang then walked heavily to Cheng Pu, who had a gloomy face.
"It was Gan Ning, the thief of Jinfan. After we broke through the city, we chopped him up alive to avenge the Ling family and his son." Han Dang's eyes were cold.
Old Cheng Pu burst into tears, "This is my fault. If I hadn't underestimated the enemy and caused a lax defense, Gongji would not have been killed..."
"Demo, don't blame yourself. You died on the battlefield for the general and were buried in horse leather. This is the fate of public service." Han Dang comforted his old friend.
Cheng Pu stood up straight, then looked at the sky and said: "The night is still long. We must guard against the bandits coming back. Send an order to break camp and retreat, and retreat twenty miles to the stronghold..."
"It's already late at night, so there's no need to start a big fight, right?" Han Dang was puzzled.
Cheng Pu shook his head gently: "Tonight we were robbed and beheaded by Gan Ning. The morale of the officers and soldiers in the camp has been dampened. If we want to continue to stay in the same place, we are all frightened and unable to sleep. It is better to move back a little and have enough energy to attack the city tomorrow morning and later." "
Han Dang nodded in affirmation, "Mr. Cheng has thought carefully. I will arrange everything right away."
Gan Ning's hundreds of cavalry robbed the camp and beheaded the generals, frightening Cheng Pu's 20,000 troops back. After returning to the city, Xi Zhen was so impressed that she personally removed his armor and offered wine to him, full of confidence in defending Linxiang.
The news of Cheng Pu's retreat and garrison was promptly passed back to the trapped troops by the scouts.
When the trapped troops marched to a distance of fifty miles, Gao Shun decisively ordered the troops stationed in place to rest. Lan Tian asked puzzledly: "There is still some time before dawn, why don't you move forward further?"
Gao Shun shook his head and explained: "The visibility is too poor at night, and marching consumes physical energy. It is better to rest early and wait for dawn before leaving."
Lan Tian said with relief: "It's a good arrangement this way. Let's keep our spirits up. There will be a hard fight tomorrow."
Gao Shun added: "There must be a reason for Cheng Pu's overnight retreat. I suspect that General Gan went to rob the camp. After all his troubles, how can the Jiangdong soldiers have the energy to attack the city tomorrow? This will be extremely beneficial to our battle."
"Then let the boys sleep a little longer. Let's start out later tomorrow. Cheng Pu will get twice the result with half the effort by using his tired troops to attack. The more rest the trapped troops have, the more strength they will have." Lan Tian said.
Gao Shun nodded slightly: "That's what I mean. Sir, you should also rest."
Lantian lay down on the sand, protected by thick armor and clothes. He was not worried about the cold and damp entering his body. He rested his head on his crossed palms and looked at the deep night sky with his deep eyes.
"I can't sleep now, so I'll just look at the stars first. Boping, you have to command the battle tomorrow, so go and rest first."
Gao Shun followed Lan Tian's example and lay next to him, and replied calmly: "After the battle, I will rest. How can I sleep peacefully if I am responsible for the lives and deaths of thousands of people? Why don't I accompany my husband to watch the stars..."
Lan Tian turned to look at Gao Shun and sighed: "Everything has a reason. No wonder Boping always wins the battle..."
"My husband once taught Shizai stargazing. He told me that the star is called the Corner Star, but it seems to have moved its position tonight. Why are the stars moving around?" Gao Shun pointed to the night sky and changed the topic.
Lan Tian was afraid that Gao Shun would not understand the movement of celestial bodies, but he did not know how to explain it, so he could only answer truthfully: "Boping may not believe what I say. In fact, the stars in the sky and the earth behind us are all round in shape like footballs. And they are rotating all the time. We can’t feel it because the balls are too big. This rotation is related to the change of day and night and the change of seasons..."
"Sir, you are an expert in the world. I completely believe what you say." Gao Shun answered firmly.
"Boping, you don't have to force yourself..." Lan Tian shook his head gently.
Gao Shun said with certainty: "I will not force it at all. I believe every word that Mr. said, just like the pointed star in the eastern sky. It moved very far tonight. It is indeed moving every moment, but it is just moving." It’s just very slow.”
Lan Tian was surprised by Gao Shun's determination. If he said this to Wolong Fengchu, he might be regarded as a madman, right?
"Boping, Shizai doesn't know much about the stars. How about I teach you stargazing now?" Lan Tian became interested.
"The general is all ears." Gao Shun replied affirmatively.
Lantian pointed at the horned star and gestured: "Starting from the horned star in the eastern sky, if they are connected virtually, they will form the shape of a dragon. The star official named it Dongfang Canglong Qisu, and the stars where the horned star is located are Spica is the head of the blue dragon, the horn star and the bright star above are the dragon's horns, and the four stars below are the horns, which are the neck of the blue dragon."
"Where are the rest?" Gao Shun asked curiously.
Lan Tian explained: "The remaining Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji Wusu will slowly appear over time, and by midsummer you will be able to see the full picture of Canglong."
"It's interesting." Gao Shun said to himself.
Lan Tian continued: "These stars are invisible in winter. They only appear one after another on February 2 every year. On February 2, Spica appears in the eastern sky. It can be called the 'dragon raising its head'."
Gao Shun was puzzled and asked: "I once heard Gongtai say that in the Book of Changes, there are hexagrams such as dragons in the field and flying dragons in the sky. It seems to be related to the dragon raising its head that Mr. said?"
Lantian was surprised at first, and then said: "Gongtai is right, the stars correspond to the four seasons, the Canglong Qisu corresponds to the Qian hexagram of the I Ching, the Canglong sleeps underground in the winter because of 'Do not use the hidden dragon', the Canglong appears in February and March. It means "seeing a dragon in the field". In April and May, the blue dragon climbs up and exposes its sharp claws on its chest and abdomen, which means "or leaping into the abyss". In June and July, all the blue dragons fly into the sky, which means "flying dragon in the sky", and then slowly moves towards the sky. The reason for hiding underground is because "the dragon has regrets"..."
"Yes, yes, Gongtai said that this hexagram can be compared to heroes. Some people can only hide in puddles with scales and claws throughout their lives, while some people can fly like dragons in the sky and display their ambitions..." Gao Shun was a little excited.
"It's not easy to fly a dragon in the sky. We must always be wary of the dragon's regrets..." Lan Tian sighed.
Gao Shun turned his head and looked at Lan Tian, and then said meaningfully: "Sir, he has been keeping a low profile for many years, and now he finally shows his skills in front of people. You can't say that a flying dragon is in the sky, but at least you can see a dragon in the field, right?"
