"General, along the way, we have lost nearly three dozen people due to fatigue due to the miasma, and we have also consumed more than half of our food and grass. We can no longer wait any longer."
One of the generals said worriedly.
His words immediately received unanimous approval from everyone.
"Yes, General, our army already doesn't have much food and grass. If we can't harvest food and grass quickly, I'm afraid our tens of thousands of troops will be in food shortage."
It turns out that since Gou Xi and others blocked the roads in the Piao area, it was almost impossible to get the baggage transferred from Yizhou to Ningzhou.
They must prepare themselves as soon as possible.
However, before they had time to plunder Funan Kingdom, they encountered a heavy rain.
This heavy rain lasted for two months without stopping.
Gou Xi and the refugees from Guanzhong, Di Qiang, who had seen this kind of weather before, became sick one after another, and their losses were even worse than before when they traveled through the jungle of Piao State.
It was hard to wait until the weather cleared in the past two days, and all the generals were about to cross the river to fight.
"But the enemy situation ahead is unknown, and we don't have many boats. With the river swollen, it would be dangerous if we encounter an ambush from the Funan Kingdom and attack us halfway across the river."
Gou Xi frowned and said.
All the generals fell silent.
Since moving out of the jungle of Piao Kingdom, the troops they encountered from Funan Kingdom were very sparse. At first glance, they looked like a group of miscellaneous soldiers.
This means that the main force of Funan Kingdom must be waiting on the other side of the river ahead.
"Those Piao country barbarians say that the Funan army is weak and can be bullied. It seems they are trying to trick us!"
"General, how about we turn around and go back and kill all the Piao people who tricked us. Those river valleys are also good places, enough for us to survive."
Some of the generals planned to turn around as they spoke.
Gou Xi and the others' ambitions towards Funan were caused by those from Piao.
People from the Piao Kingdom told Gou Xi and others that there was a Funan Kingdom to the west.
The people of the country are thin and can be bullied, the country is full of states and cities, the army is very weak, and it also produces rice, jute, spices and other treasures.
For the Pyu people, that is, the ancient Burmese, the Bangladesh region next door has always been a civilization higher than theirs.
The Pyu people have always viewed the Bangladesh region with envy.
Now that a stronger Han, Di and Qiang hybrid army has arrived, Gou Xi naturally wants to follow behind and gain some advantages, so he praises the Funan Kingdom in Bangladesh to the sky.
"The jungle of Piao is extremely rainy and it is not a long-term place at all. In addition, the territory is narrow and scattered, and the various departments cannot gather in one place. Once something happens, they will definitely be defeated individually. You must not go back."
Gou Xi rejected the proposal without hesitation.
When everyone heard this, they all knew this was true.
They already knew that the Han army in Yizhou had already stationed in Ningzhou. If anything happened, they could immediately rush into Piao to deal with them.
"Then we can't wait here!"
Yang Nandi, the general of the Di tribe on the side, said.
They have no way out now. If they continue to move forward, they still need enough ships and enough intelligence.
But time is not on their side, and the lack of supplies in the army must be replenished as soon as possible.
Everyone looked at Gou Xi.
Gou Xi pondered for a while, then stood up and regained consciousness.
He said to everyone with firm eyes.
"Now that the river is blocking us and the enemy situation ahead is unknown, we must not act rashly!"
"But if we don't cross the river to search, the army's supplies will be cut off."
"Therefore, I, the general, need someone to act as a vanguard to cross the river, to explore the military situation ahead, and then find a suitable place to cross the river and head west!"
Gou Xi's words touched everyone's hearts.
However, no one responded to the question of who should be the vanguard.
In a strange area where you are unfamiliar with life, no one knows what dangers you will encounter.
When Gou Xi saw that everyone refused to respond, he planned to order the general himself.
At this moment, someone suddenly took the initiative to ask for help.
"General, Yang is willing to go!"
The person who spoke was none other than Yang Duryodhana just now.
"Brother Yang is indeed very brave. I will entrust this matter to you!" Gou Xi handed over the task to Yang Duryodhana unceremoniously.
Yang Nandi was a native of Baima Di in Qinlong. His father Yang Maosou once claimed to be the king of Qiuchi. Although he later took the initiative to reduce the king's title and join him, he could no longer be tolerated in Liu Yu's eyes.
The only future for the Baima Di people is to stay away from the Han army.
Therefore, Yang Nandi is not afraid of hardships and dangers.
Gou Xi ordered everyone to work day and night to make a batch of rafts, which were used as tools for Yang Duryodhana to cross the river.
Even if they rushed slowly, they could only make a raft that could transport only five or six hundred people.
Finally, we had to wait for several more days to transport the horse baggage.
However, a sudden violent storm prevented everyone from delaying any longer.
After the heavy rain stopped, Yang Nandi personally led 500 white-horsed cavalry across the river.
With this unpredictable weather, who knows if there will be another heavy rain lasting two or three months.
One early morning, hundreds of rafts headed across the river.
Just after setting off, a raft capsized.
Although no casualties were caused, everyone was still in a depressed mood.
Especially Yang Duryodhana's heart was filled with anxiety.
"I wonder how many soldiers and horses the Funan people on the other side of the river are waiting for!"
"If Funan's troops and horses are too strong, I can definitely escape with the loss of 30% of the troops and horses with my Baima Di skills."
Rice Ball Exploration
Looking at the wide river, Yang Duryodhana frowned and thought about all the bad possibilities in advance.
. . .
The hot and humid feeling is getting more and more obvious.
Kumaradan knew that this was a sign that the rainy season, which Funan people were most familiar with, was about to pass.
In Bangladesh, it is common for it to rain for two months.
Because there are no four seasons here, only the difference between the rainy season and the dry season.
As a city lord in eastern Funan, Kumaradan always goes out to inspect his territory at the end of the rainy season.
As a noble Kshatriya, Kumaradham has hundreds of villages in his territory and probably tens of thousands of residents.
In the Funan area, he was considered a powerful prince.
Even the Lin Yi Dynasty, which had just taken over the Funan region, rewarded Kumaradan well.
However, even though he is so noble and powerful, there are still some barbarians without eyes who come to cause trouble.
Not long ago, Kumaradham's territory on the east bank of the Ming River was attacked and occupied by a group of barbarians from the east.
Kumaradha knew that there was a group of barbarians living in the jungle area to the east, called the Pyu people.
He thought that the rainy season was over now.
You can gather your subordinates to form a powerful army and drive away the Pyu savages on the other side.
Kumaradan thought that with hundreds of tough warriors in his territory, he could destroy those daring Pyu people.
When the time comes, we will capture them all and make them slaves, and let them and those despicable 'untouchables' be slaves for generations to come.
"Dear Master, ahead is White Elephant City. People there say that you can see the shadows of those barbarians on the other side of the river!"
Just as Kumaradan was lost in thought, a fat slave with a dark complexion next to him said with a smile.
The fat slave's dark face almost twisted into a chrysanthemum because he smiled so hard.
Kumaradan, however, did not look at the slave at all, but looked forward.
The so-called Baixiang City is actually just a small village surrounded by bamboo and wood walls, home to thousands of people.
In the myths and legends of Tianzhu, a small village of this size is classified as a "city".
Otherwise, millions of cities and hundreds of millions of people would have come from in ancient times.
"It's really outrageous!"
"Why didn't Na Tuolu from White Elephant City come to greet you!?"
Kumaradan was already very angry that the lord of White Elephant City was so disrespectful.
"Master, maybe Na Tuo Lu has forgotten about this matter. After all, there are ferocious barbarians attacking on the other side of the river."
The fat and dark personal servant next to him said.
"If Tuolu doesn't know how to respect me as a lord, then he will not be blessed by God Brahma and will be a Shudra in his next life!" Kumaradhan cursed bitterly.
When the servants nearby heard this, they all secretly rejoiced.
If Na Tuo Lu becomes a Shudra in his next life, he will no longer be able to serve as a steward for his master. Wouldn’t it be that he had reserved a position for them early on?
If ordinary people seriously think about this kind of promotion opportunity in the next life, there must be something wrong in their minds.
But in this magical place of the subcontinent, it is a question that everyone firmly believes in.
The noble master will still be the master in the next life.
Those who are in charge of the same job will still be in charge in the next life and continue to be such a loser.
These slaves are still just slaves.
In this case, unless someone fails to abide by the teachings of God Brahma and makes a big mistake, he or she will be degraded in status in the next life.
And as long as they slaves work diligently as cows and horses in this life, the "dog leg" position that will be vacant in the next life may fall to them.
"Send someone to summon Na Tuo Lu. I want him to kiss my toes to greet his master before he sees the spire of White Elephant City!"
Kumaradham sent two slaves to summon Natuolu to come and kiss his feet, and then he ordered him to rest on the spot.
After all, the huge territory with a radius of hundreds of miles is enough to make Kumaradan and his party tired.
With the two servants fanning him very carefully, Kumaradham lay down leisurely.
While he was resting in the cool air, he was thinking about how to deal with that Tuolu who didn't know etiquette later.
"For an inferior person to lose respect for his master is to commit blasphemy against God Brahma!"
"Whoever dares to be disrespectful to God Brahma will definitely go to hell after death and be the lowest of the lowly people in the next life."
Kumaradham kept talking to the servants beside him.
After coming here for a long time, when Kumaradan had almost rested, two figures ran up on the road ahead.
Looking from a distance, it should be the two slaves that Kumaradham sent to summon Natuolu.
"Na Tuo Lu, you are seeking death!"
Kumaradan looked from a distance and did not see the figures of Natuolu, the steward of Baixiang City, and others, and he couldn't help but feel furious.
"Where is my Pycelle?"
Kumaradan called behind him.
"Honored Master, your Pycelle is at your disposal!"
A bearded warrior with green eyes, curly hair, and relatively fair skin responded loudly.
This fierce-looking Funan warrior, like Kumaradan, was an Aryan of noble origin.
Although he is called master, he is not a slave, but a warrior of his subordinate vassals.
Pycelle is the Funan people's name for brave warriors.
These Pycelle warriors inherited the traditions of their Aryan ancestors. They learned various martial arts since childhood in order to safeguard the existence of the Brahma God.
Kumaradan came out this time, bringing with him two hundred Pycelle warriors.
Now Tuolu's very disrespectful behavior has made Kumaradan murderous.
Two hundred Pycelle warriors were enough to destroy Na Tuolu's family.
To deal with these low-class people, you have to use some necessary force.
However, when the two slaves ran over in a panic, the news they brought back surprised Kumaradhan.
"Master, it's not good, White Elephant, White Elephant City..."
A dark and thin slave said breathlessly.
"What happened to White Elephant City?"
Kumaradan flew up and kicked the stuttering slave over, and asked sternly.
The fat black man's personal servant next to him immediately took out a clean white linen cloth and wiped Kumaradham's shoes.
The shoes of a noble master must be cleaned if they come into contact with lower-class people.
"The barbarians on the other side of the river are coming on horseback." Another slave said breathlessly.
"What, the barbarians crossed the river?" Kumaradan was greatly surprised when he heard this.
You know, those barbarians to the east rarely have the courage to stay for such a long time, let alone cross the river to attack.
"Master, those barbarians have surrounded White Elephant City. There are many corpses outside the city. No one dares to leave the city."
After hearing what the slave said, Kumaradham felt his head buzzing.
It’s broken, it’s broken.
The barbarians dared to cross the river and besiege White Elephant City, and the siege was impenetrable. There must be many, many of them.
There must be at least 10,000 people.
Even less, there must be five or six thousand people.
Otherwise, how could it be possible to surround White Elephant City.
"They have surrounded White Elephant City. How many people are there?" Kumaradan asked.
There are only two hundred Pycelle warriors around him. Even if he fights ten of them one by one, he still can't deal with so many barbarians.
However, before retreating, you still need to know the number of enemies clearly, so that you can go back and summon an army.
"There must be at least two hundred of them, all on horseback, guarding the gate of White Elephant City tightly..." said the black and thin slave.
"What? How many people are there?" Kumaradan thought he heard wrongly.
"Two hundred, all cavalry," the slave said.
When Kumaradan heard this, he immediately became angry again.
"You damn slave, how dare you tease me!"
Kumaradan kicked him hard again.
A mere two hundred barbarians on horseback surrounded White Elephant City.
Moreover, if there are corpses outside the city, it means that Tuolu failed in the battle and retreated.
"That Tuolu not only has no ability, no thought nor even courage, just two hundred barbarians!"
