About three hours later, the mess outside Horseshoe Lake was finally cleared up slowly. In the depression outside the forest to the west, there were dozens of thick smoke, and there was a faint smell of fishy meat.
Even in winter, Xu Mu had to be careful. Hundreds of corpses were not properly disposed of, resulting in a plague, which was a serious matter.
It's like watching a farce. Except for the new group of people, the rest of the people in Zhuangzi have not changed much. They work when they need to work, and eat and drink when they need to.
"My boss, Gu Ying is here." Chen Sheng held the knife in one hand and ran back in a hurry.
Xu Mu has always had a good impression of the chief guard beside the young marquis. I heard that he was originally a general who followed the young Marquis to kill him.
"My dear boss, are you okay?" Gu Ying got off his horse, the long knife under his waist faintly glowing with silver.
"No, two thousand troops came and were defeated without a fight."
"I was thinking along the way that my little boss is a person who returned from the border, and these two thousand rebels should be safe and sound."
After a few words of talk, after Gu Ying swallowed his throat, Xu Mu suddenly understood that something was going to happen again with Yuan Tao.
"Brother Gu, could it be that something happened to Mr. Hou?"
"Xiao Dongjia, my master has been coughing more and more these days. It's rare that he's relieved today, so he asked me to personally go and invite Xiao Dongjia to Changyang."
Xu Mu frowned slightly. Yuan Tao's illness was obvious to everyone. According to the words of the miracle doctor Li Wang'er, he probably didn't have much time left.
However, what Jia Wenlong said that day did make some sense...
With a heavy face, Xu Mu simply stopped thinking about it. He only needs to know that in this world, the young prince Yuan Tao is the last barrier of the Daji Kingdom, and that is enough.
"Si Hu, go find a dozen people to follow me into Changyang."
The collapse of the army is far from over. As Jia Zhou said, even if the fire cannot start a prairie fire, it will eventually burn.
"Mr. Chen, and Chen Sheng, you two are optimistic about Zhuangzi."
When Si Hu called someone, Xu Mu whistled, and General Feng had already rushed to the front.
"My little boss, what a good horse." Gu Ying turned around and looked at him, uttered only one sentence, then hurried forward, took the horse and turned over.
The wind and snow howled overhead, and it only drifted for a few rounds before completely covering up the blood in front of Horseshoe Lake. The horses' hooves trampled across the snowy road, shaking the woods on both sides, and the frost and snow clinging to the branches were knocked down with a huffing sound.
"My dear boss, there's one more thing." Gu Ying turned his head as he hurriedly ran.
"I ran through the official road before and checked. This time, two thousand troops retreated to Horseshoe Lake. In fact, someone did it deliberately."
"The four major households in Tangjiang City." Xu Mu said coldly.
Jia Zhou's analysis is correct. Blocking someone's money is like killing one's parents. In the inner city area, the only ones with the deepest hatred are the four major households.
"Does the little boss know?"
"You can guess it."
"That Mr. Lu, I guess I'm still waiting for news of your death. I also know that my young boss should have murderous intentions at this moment."
Xu Mu hesitated and did not answer. He is better at hiding his clumsiness, even though Gu Ying belongs to the young marquis.
"I won't ask anymore." Gu Ying nodded lightly, "My master is letting you go to Changyang this time. It's probably because of something important."
"know."
More than twenty figures on horseback were running fast in the snow. The sound of trampling horse hooves reflected in the snowy scene, adding a bit of wildness.
In about two days, the group of people defeated Fengxue and stopped in front of Changyang City.
Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the tower outside the city gate. If I remember correctly, Chen Jiaqiao came over a few days ago and hung Hu Yanche's body here.
"Little boss, let's enter the city."
On a freezing day, the sick little Marquis would probably not sit under the weeping willow tree.
As Gu Ying said, in less than half a month, the young marquis Yuan Tao's complexion became more and more haggard.
Looking from a distance, even though he was wearing a thick cloak, he still looked like he was weathering the wind and snow, holding the stove in one hand and covering his mouth with the other.
The cough that ripped through his chest made Xu Mu's heart ache.
"When you come, follow me into the house."
The voice was so hoarse that if you listened blindfolded, you would just think it was an old man speaking.
"Xu Mu has met Mr. Hou."
"Don't be too polite, you are one of our own family." Yuan Tao smiled.
Gu Ying hurriedly walked forward, helped lift the hand stove, supported Yuan Tao, and slowly entered the house.
"Brother Tiger, a banquet has been prepared in the outer courtyard."
Si Hu, more than twenty people, cheered and hurriedly ran in groups.
Xu Mu carried him into the house and looked at Yuan Tao's stooped figure from behind, feeling even more uncomfortable.
"You should know about the collapse of the army, ahem..."
"I know, I even beat up a bunch of them today."
Yuan Tao's pale face was startled, and Gu Ying next to him hurriedly whispered something. After a while, Yuan Tao's expression turned happy again.
"I didn't misjudge the person."
"If there are any heroes with eggs in Daji, my little boss is one of them."
"The Marquis is overly praised."
"It's not an exaggeration. Ahem... My little boss, I have no choice but to let you enter Changyang this time."
Yuan Tao raised his arm with difficulty and pointed at his chest.
Gu Ying, whose eyes were red for no apparent reason, helped to untie half of the warm robe.
For a moment, Xu Mu also felt a pang in his heart.
The heart and mouth of Yuan Tao's chest were clearly blackened, and dense black veins were all over the surrounding area.
"Li Wang'er said that I probably wouldn't survive this winter. But now that I think about it, he seems to have been overconfident."
"Yesterday, several old doctors who had returned to their hometowns all entered the Hou Mansion and said that I would not survive more than a month."
"Master Marquis, if not, I will go to Muyun Prefecture immediately to look for famous doctors."
Xu Mu only felt that his voice was trembling a little.
"Don't go. Gu Ying sent people there a few times ago." Yuan Tao coughed, his voice full of regret.
"This time, let the little boss come to Changyang because I want to trouble you with something."
"Master Marquis, please tell me."
Yuan Tao raised his pale face and his eyes became intense.
"Three hundred miles outside the inner city, there is a defeated army of 7,000 people entrenched in the county. How about a visit to my little boss?"
Xu Mu was startled, "Master Hou, I heard that many battalions were transferred back to the court."
"That's their business."
Yuan Tao lowered his head, "This round, you go to the county and rescue a few people for me."
"Save people? What do you say, Master Hou?"
"There was an envoy from Liangzhou who was blocked in the city after the defeated army occupied the county."
Xu Mu smartly did not ask why an envoy from Liangzhou was blocked in the county where the army was defeated. But he could vaguely guess that this matter should be Yuan Tao's plan.
"Gu Ying is a fifth-grade silver sword guard. He can't go because he is being watched too closely. It's not that some of the brothers outside can't believe it, but they just feel that they don't have the methods of the little master. After all, it is a rebel city."
"I guess the camp soldiers will surround you soon, so be careful. I'll have something for you when you get back."
Xu Mu nodded silently.
"By the way, what you mentioned earlier...that Lu Zizhong from one of the four major families happened to be reported. He may have entered Changyang City."
"I'll send someone to help you dig it out, and you can go and break the willow branches yourself."
"Master Hou, what if I'm beaten to death?"
"It's up to you. No matter what, you should be tougher."
